Palestine Urges ICC Prosecution of Israeli Settlers

The Palestinian Authority intensifies its efforts to bring Jewish settlers who attack Palestinian communities to justice at the International Criminal Court (ICC), stated Prime Minister and Palestinian Foreign Minister Mohammad Mustafa.

Mustafa emphasized Palestine's ongoing legal endeavors, alongside international allies, to ensure accountability for the actions of Jewish colonists and their leaders.

The statement comes in response to a recent armed assault by Jewish settlers on Al-Mughayir, a Palestinian village in the West Bank, resulting in the death of a Palestinian youth and injuries to 18 others.

Instructing authorities to extend full support to Al-Mughayir's residents, the Prime Minister reaffirmed Palestinians' determination to defend their land and resist displacement efforts.

Incidents of attacks by Jewish settlers, often backed by the Israeli military, against Palestinian settlements and economic sites in the West Bank, have become increasingly frequent.

Meanwhile, tensions escalated in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when militants from the radical Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise incursion into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip, resulting in casualties and hostage-taking.

Hamas cited Israeli actions against the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem as the motive. Israel responded with a blockade of Gaza, ground operations, and airstrikes, also targeting areas in Lebanon and Syria. Clashes ensued in the West Bank.

On December 1, the Israeli army accused Hamas of violating a truce and announced renewed hostilities in Gaza. The Palestinian Authority attributed the escalation to the United States.

Since then, casualties in the enclave have surpassed 33,000, highlighting the ongoing conflict's toll.