CAIRO, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Arab League (AL) Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit welcomed the recent decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate the alleged crimes committed by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories, the pan-Arab body said in a statement on Thursday.

"The decision goes in line with the principles of international justice," said the newly reappointed AL chief, considering the ICC investigation itself "new evidence to condemn the occupation and its crimes."

On Wednesday, ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda announced launching a probe into the alleged Israeli crimes, saying the investigation would be conducted "independently, impartially and objectively without fear or favor."

The probe would cover the period starting from mid-2014, according to Bensouda.

Convening at the AL headquarters in Cairo on Wednesday, Arab foreign ministers called on the ICC to open investigation into what they described as "war crimes" and "crimes against humanity" committed by Israel against the Palestinian people.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the ICC's alleged war crimes investigation, accusing the court of "hypocrisy and anti-Semitism."

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been going on for decades, following the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and the Western-backed creation of Israel in 1948. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)