Palestine says to sue US for supporting Israel's plans to annex Palestinian lands

RAMALLAH -- The Palestinian justice minister said on Wednesday that the Palestinian Authority intends to file lawsuits against the United States for supporting Israel's plans to annex Palestinian lands in the West Bank.

"We are looking for legal mechanisms to hold the US government accountable in committing war crimes against the Palestinians together with Israel," Mohammed al-Shalaldeh told Xinhua.

The US support for Israel's plan to annex Palestinian lands in the West Bank is one of these crimes, he noted.

"Recognizing the occupier's sovereignty on the occupied lands is a war crime in itself, and according to the international law, no state has the right to recognize the sovereignty of any occupying state on others' land," al-Shalaldeh explained.

In addition, lawsuits will be filed against international companies that operate at Israeli settlements, the Palestinian minister said.

The Palestinian government filed a lawsuit against the United States in the International Court of Justice for violating the Vienna Treaty of 1961 after it moved its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 2018, according to the minister.

Fatou Bensouda, prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), issued a report on Thursday that confirmed the jurisdiction of the ICC to investigate in Palestine, al-Shalaldeh told Xinhua.

Earlier in the day, US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman announced that imposing Israeli sovereignty on parts of the West Bank "is Israel's decision," Israel Radio reported.

The radio also reported that Friedman said Washington is preparing to recognize Israel's plans in the coming weeks.