Palestinian minister says there is ‘clear evidence’ of Israeli war crimes

Palestinian foreign minister Riad al-Malki said today after meeting prosecutors at the International Criminal Court that there was "clear evidence" that Israel committed war crimes in Gaza.

"In last 28 days, there is clear evidence of war crimes committed by Israel amounting to crimes against humanity," Mr Malki told reporters after meetings at the ICC.

Mr Malki said his administration was making efforts to have Palestine become a member of the court, a legal step that would grant the ICC jurisdiction over alleged crimes in the territory.

The ICC, created more than a decade ago to prosecute individuals for war crimes, is a court of last resort, meaning that it can only intervene when a country is found to be unwilling or unable to carry out its own investigation.

Mr Malki's visit to the ICC in the Netherlands today took place shortly after Israeli and the Islamist Hamas movement entered a 72-hour truce mediated by Egypt in an effort to pave the way for an extended ceasefire.

Israel and the Palestinians have traded allegations of war crimes during the Gaza assault, while defending their own actions as consistent with the international law.

Mr Malki asked the United Nations last month to end what he called Israel's impunity and said it "must be held accountable for its crimes."

Last week, the United Nations launched an inquiry into human rights violations and crimes alleged to have been committed by Israel during the offensive, amid a far higher civilian death toll on the Palestinian side.

Israel is not a member of the ICC and the court therefore has no jurisdiction to investigate. Jurisdiction could be granted in a UN Security Council resolution, but Israel's ally the United States would have the power to block any such proposal.

Gaza officials say 1,834 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have been killed in the war. Israel has countered that almost half those killed have been militants.

Israel says 64 of its soldiers and three civilians have been killed since fighting began on July 8, after a surge in Palestinian rocket launches.

Amnesty International yesterday appealed to the United States to halt transfers of fuel shipments to the Israeli military. It said there was mounting evidence of war crimes from both Israel and the Palestinians, adding that an ICC investigation was crucial in stopping the cycle of violations.

Agencies