Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki has submitted a fresh dossier of evidence on Israeli war crimes in the occupied West Bank and Gaza to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Following a Friday meeting with ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda in The Hague, Maliki told reporters that the new dossier, the third he has submitted this year, contains evidence of “extrajudicial killing, home demolition, [and] collective punishment” by the Israeli forces.
The submission of the dossier comes at a time when tensions in the occupied Palestinian territories have dramatically escalated in recent weeks.
Maliki added that “examples of cases that have really occurred in the last 40 days of Israeli aggression against innocent Palestinians around occupied territory” were also included in the document.
Israel declares parts of al-Khalil as military zone
On Friday, the Israeli military issued an order to turn several neighborhoods in central al-Khalil (Hebron) into a closed military zone. The Israeli regime has informed Palestinians that they will be given special permits that will allow them to enter and exit their homes.
The order was issued following a series of violent clashes between Palestinian youths and Israeli forces in several towns across the occupied West Bank after the Friday prayers.
Palestinian protesters run for cover from teargas fired by Israeli forces during clashes at the entrance of the Palestinian town of al-Bireh on the outskirts of Ramallah in the West Bank on October 30, 2015. (AFP photo)
At least 72 Palestinians have been killed by Israelis since the beginning of October. Some 7,200 others have been injured either in direct confrontation with the Israelis or during protests.
The fresh wave of tensions in the occupied territories was triggered by the Israeli regime’s imposition of restrictions on the entry of Palestinian worshipers into the al-Aqsa Mosque in August. Palestinians say the Tel Aviv regime seeks to change the status quo of al-Aqsa.
