Palestine to attend meeting of Assembly of States Parties of ICC

Ramallah, Dec 5 (IANS) Palestine will attend a meeting of the Assembly of States Parties of the International Criminal Court (ICC) scheduled for Monday in The Hague, a senior official announced here.

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki told the local media that he will deliver a speech at the meeting and meet other officials in The Hague to discuss the "Israeli escalation in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem", reports Xinhua news agency.

He added that he will meet with ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan on the sidelines of the meeting to discuss violations committed by the Israeli army and settler groups.

Al-Maliki noted that the Palestinian delegation would ask Khan about the reasons that "prevent him, until this moment, from launching an official investigation into those crimes committed by Israel against the Palestinian people".

In November, the Fourth Committee of the UN General Assembly adopted a draft Palestinian resolution to request a legal advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice regarding Israeli malpractice.

The draft resolution is expected to be voted on December 15.