adminRiad Malki, the Palestinian foreign minister, said on Wednesday his government’s decision will largely depend on what the Israelis do with the so-called “E1” area outside the Arab suburbs of East Jerusalem.
Malki said allowing Jewish settlers into the so-called E1 zone would be “trespassing the red lines”.
The Palestinians are “absolutely not going to tolerate any construction in that particular area”, Malki told reporters after addressing a UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East conflict. “We will wait to see how Israel will react from now on, especially after the formation of the new government,” he added.
E1 is one of the occupied areas where Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s outgoing government has authorised thousands of new settlement homes.
The Palestinians have previously suggested that bringing their various disputes with Israel to the Hague-based court was an option, but Malki’s remarks were the most direct threat his government has made against the Jewish state to date.
The Palestinians are yet to join the ICC, which prosecutes charges of genocide, war crimes and other major human rights violations. They must first apply to join the court, and once a member they could refer Israel for investigation. — AP
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