RAMALLAH, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Palestine on Saturday urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to start its official investigation into the situation in the Palestinian territories.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said that Palestine's decision to end all agreements reached with Israel and the United States should not affect the legal issues of the investigation.

The minister called on the ICC to proceed its investigation of Israeli measures against the Palestinian people.

On May 19, Palestinian President Mahmoud announced the abolition of all agreements and understandings reached with both Israel and the United States, including economic and security cooperation.

Abbas's decision was made in response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's declaration that his government will annex the Jordan Valley and impose the Israeli sovereignty on several settlements in the West Bank on July.

On May 26, the ICC's pre-trial chamber issued an "order requesting additional information" regarding Abbas's decision and its impact on the Oslo Accords.

Al-Maliki said that Palestine has responded to the ICC's request for an explanation over its earlier decision, adding that Palestine's response comes in the context of the legal procedures related to the territorial jurisdiction requested by the ICC prosecutor.

According to al-Maliki, annexation would constitute an act of "war crime and crime against humanity by Israeli officials," which is within the competence of the ICC.

The Oslo Accords are a set of agreements signed between the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Israeli government in the 1990s, governing the relationship between the two sides for an interim period of five years. Enditem

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