RAMALLAH, Thursday, February 28, 2019 (WAFA) – The Palestinian presidency welcomed today a report by the United Nations Independent Commission of Inquiry on the protests in the occupied Palestinian territory, which described the Israeli army shooting of Palestinian protesters on the Gaza border fence with Israel as war crimes.

The Commission was mandated by the Human Rights Council in May 2018 to investigate all Israeli violations and abuses of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in the occupied Palestinian territory in the context of the March of Return protests that began in Gaza on 30 March 2018.

“The Commission has reasonable grounds to believe that during the Great March of Return, Israeli soldiers committed violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. Some of those violations may constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity, and must be immediately investigated by Israel,” said Santiago Canton, of Argentina, the Chair of the Commission in the report referred to as the “Great March of Return and the Breaking of the Siege”.

The presidency said in a statement that “this report proves what we have always said and that is Israel is committing war crimes against our people in the Gaza Strip and in the West Bank, including Jerusalem.”

It called on the International Criminal Court, based in The Hague, “to move immediately to open investigation in these committed crimes,” adding, “it is time to hold Israel accountable for these crimes and that no country should remain above the law.”

M.K.