Palestinian president hails ICC's decision to probe "situation in Palestine"

Mahmoud Abbas

RAMALLAH, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday hailed the decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to open the way for the Palestinians to sue Israel.

He made the remarks at an ongoing session attended by members of the revolutionary council of his Fatah party in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

"This is a historic day, and now any Palestinian who gets injured by the occupier (Israel) can file a case to the criminal court," said Abbas, according to the Palestinian WAFA news agency.

"After four years of hard work and providing everything necessary about the occupation crimes committed against our people in the occupied territories, the decision was issued because the court was following and studying the findings, laws, and issues," he added.

Earlier in the day, Chief Prosecutor of the ICC Fatou Bensouda submitted an application to the Pre-Trial Chamber of the ICC for a judgment regarding the jurisdiction of the Palestinian territories.