AP: “The International Criminal Court said Friday that its jurisdiction extends to territories occupied by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, appearing to clear the way for its chief prosecutor to open a war crimes probe into Israeli military actions. The ICC’s chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, said in 2019 that there was a ‘reasonable basis’ to open a war crimes probe into Israeli military actions in the Gaza Strip as well as Israeli settlement activity in the occupied West Bank. But she asked the court determine whether she has territorial jurisdiction before proceeding with the case.”

“The Palestinians, who joined the court in 2015, have pushed for the case. Israel, which is not a member of the ICC, has said the court has no jurisdiction because the Palestinians do not have statehood and because the borders of any future state are to be decided in peace talks. The Palestinians have asked the court to look into Israeli actions during its 2014 war against Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, as well as Israel’s construction of settlements in the occupied West Bank and annexed east Jerusalem. The international community widely considers the settlements to be illegal under international law but has done little to pressure Israel to freeze or reverse their growth. The international tribunal is meant to serve as a court of last resort when countries’ own judicial systems are insufficient to investigate and prosecute war crimes.”