RAMALLAH, April 7, 2012 (WAFA) – A collation of human rights organizations denounced the International Criminal Court (ICC) rejection of a Palestinian request to investigate possible war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza under the pretext that the request from a non-member of the United Nations does not fall under the ICC jurisdiction, Saturday said a press release.

ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo ruled that the court could not investigate war crimes claims because Palestine is not a member state of the UN, which ultimately means it could not sign the court's founding treaty, the Rome Statute.

The International Coalition against War Criminals (ICWC) and a number of international human rights organizations denounced the ICC ruling, saying that ICC Prosecutor has the jurisdiction to initiate investigations based on information regarding crimes that fall under the ICC competence.

Moreno-Ocampo’s ruling is a “black page” in ICC history, said the statement, as well as indicates that ICC follows a political agenda and is bias to the wishes of the major powers.

The rights organizations recommended launching an international campaign to call for a special session of ICC member states to consider a full Palestinian membership in ICC.

The General Prosecutor did not analyze the information regarding the Israeli war crimes, but rather analyzed the legal status of the applicant, which does not fall under ICC competence, said the statement.

It added Moreno-Ocampo ignored his role as a man of law, who is obligated to investigate evidence-backed crimes without referring to the UN Security Council or member states.

R.Q./M.S.