Ramallah (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The International Court of Justice has rejected the request of the Palestinian Authority (PA) to recognize its jurisdiction. This means the Hague Tribunal will not investigate possible war crimes committed by Israel during several raids on the Gaza Strip. The last being operation "Cast Lead" which took place between 2008 and 2009.
The PA has unilaterally recognized the jurisdiction of the International Court in January of 2009, submitting a request for an investigation for criminal acts committed on the territory of Palestine since 1 July 2002. Since then, the judges of the courts have been considering whether to accept the request, but say it can only be made by a sovereign state.
In recent years more than 130 governments and some international organizations, including UN agencies, have recognized Palestine, however, given the current PA status is of "observer" to the Security Council. According to Art. 12 of the Rome Statute, only a State may apply for membership to the UN Secretary-General and therefore recognize the jurisdiction of the International Tribunal in The Hague.
In September, the Palestinian Authority submitted an application for admission to the United Nations as a Member State, but to date the Security Council has not yet met to decide. The U.S. has threatened a veto.
According to Israel, Palestine's entry into the 'United Nations, would bring no change in the relations between the two neighbors, and alienate the possibility of a lasting peace agreement.