Palestine has for the second time been unanimously elected as a member of the International Criminal Court’s executive office during the 19th session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute.
The announcement was made by the Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Minister Riyad Malki on Friday.
Malki said the ICC must provide justice to the victims and punish criminals to guarantee the protection of civilians and justice, including in Palestine, “which has witnessed the continuation of the Israeli occupation crimes for decades without accountability”.
Palestinian News and Information Agency reported that Malki said one of the tasks of the ASP bureau is to supervise the work of the Assembly of States, including the promotion of the universality of the Rome Statute.
Malki added that it is also mandated to urge non-member states to join the court, in addition to taking the necessary steps to ensure the ICC performs its functions under the Rome Statute.
Palestine was accepted as the 123rd state party to the Rome Statute on April 1, 2015.
The minister added that the ICC must perform its role without double standards, and be indifferent to the threats and pressures that aim to discourage it from carrying out its responsibilities under the Rome Statute.
Malki welcomed the positions of the member states, their condemnation of the threats directed against the court, and their affirmation of continued commitment to supporting it to implement its role in fighting war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and the crime of aggression.
On November 18, Malki said he hopes the Joe Biden administration would be different in its approach in the Israel-Palestine conflict.
“We believe that the new US administration favours a two-state solution and opposes the annexation of Palestinian territories,” Malki said.
The EU on November 19 welcomed the decision of the Palestinian Authority to resume dialogue with Israel and reiterated European support of a negotiated two-state solution.
The new position is likely to give Palestine an edge over Israel in their conflict.
On January 1, 2015, Palestine lodged a declaration under Article 12(3) of the Rome Statute accepting the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court over alleged crimes committed “in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, since June 13, 2014”.
The following day, it acceded to the Rome Statute by depositing its instrument of accession with the UN Secretary-General.
In September Malki announced stepping down from the presidency of the Council of the Arab League in protest at the regional bloc’s failure to take a stand against Israeli-Arab deals.
He called on the Arab states to ignore the recent agreement signed between Israel and the United Arab Emirates to normalise their diplomatic relations, calling it an “earthquake”.
“The state of Palestine refuses to record in its history the association of its presidency with the regression in values and principles that was evident in the last meeting of the council of foreign ministers,” Maliki said in Ramallah.