Palestinian boys sit in the Bedouin village of al-Khan al-Ahmar near Jericho in the West Bank July 5, 2018. (photo credit: REUTERS/MOHAMAD TOROKMAN)
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The Palestinians said on Tuesday that they have submitted a “submission” to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the issue of the Bedouin shanty town of Khan al-Ahmar, which is facing eviction by Israel.
On Monday night, Palestinian activists arrived and established what they called a “new neighborhood” near Khan al-Ahmar, which is located east of Ma’aleh Adumim, as part of an effort to prevent the evacuation of its residents.
PLO Secretary-General Saeb Erekat told reporters in Ramallah that the “submission” urges ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to meet with representatives of Khan al-Ahmar and Palestinian officials to hear about the Israeli decision to demolish the tiny village.
“We hope that an official judicial investigation can be opened as soon as possible,” Erekat said. “We’re determined to pursue our fight in the UN Security Council, General Assembly and Human Rights Council and the International Court of Justice.”
Commenting on the Palestinian move, Anne Bayefsky, President of Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust and Human Rights Voices, said that the Palestinians were “continuing to hijack and pervert the ICC.”
She told The Jerusalem Post that the Palestinians were trying to turn the court into their “own personal attack agent, just as they commandeered and destroyed the credibility of UN bodies.” Bayefsky warned that “when those who actively support terror are allowed to weaponize and corrupt international law, everybody who genuinely cares about the rule of law loses.”
Erekat also renewed his attack on the US administration, especially in wake of its decision to close the PLO’s diplomatic mission in Washington, cut US funds to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) and the Palestinian Authority, and recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
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Referring to US President Donald Trump and his administration officials, Erekat said: “I don’t think these people can be part of any peace process or sit in any negotiations. They are really part of the problem and not part of the solution.”
Erekat said that the only way the Americans can meet the Palestinians at any negotiating room was if Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu “can announce [US presidential advisors] Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt and [US Ambassador to Israel] David Friedman as part of the Israeli team to the negotiations.”
The Palestinians’ decision to bring the issue of Khan al-Ahmar before the ICC came less than 24 hours after the US announced that it was closing the PLO’s diplomatic mission in Washington. The Palestinian move is seen as a direct challenge to the Trump administration and is yet another sign of the deep crisis between the two sides.
Confirming the decision to close the PLO office, US National Security Advisor John Bolton on Monday warned The Hague-based court not to go after Israel. “We will not allow the ICC or any other organization to constrain Israel’s right to self-defense,” Bolton said.
Erekat and several Palestinian officials strongly condemned the decision to close the PLO mission and said they will not “succumb to US threats, bullying and blackmail.”
The US move came as scores of Palestinians were protesting in Ramallah against the Trump administration’s recent decision to cut all US aid to UNRWA. At a similar protest in the city last week, Palestinians burned photos of Trump, Friedman, and Greenblatt.
The decision is “yet another affirmation of the Trump administration’s policy to collectively punish the Palestinians,” Erekat said in a statement shortly after the US announced the closure of the PLO mission. “We reiterate that the rights of the Palestinian people are not for sale, that we will not succumb to US threats and bullying and that we will continue our legitimate struggle for freedom, justice, and independence. Accordingly, we continue to call upon the International Criminal Court to open its immediate investigation into Israeli crimes.”
PA presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudaineh also lashed out at the US administration for its decision to close the PLO mission. “For us, Jerusalem is more important that our ties with the US,” he said. “The decision won’t change our commitment to safeguard our Islamic and Christian holy sites. Nor will it change our commitment to international resolutions and decisions made by Arab and Islamic summits regarding the Palestinian cause.”
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