Mauritania asks ICC to probe Israelis for 'genocide'

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2021-05-22T23:45:25+05:00 AFP

Mauritania's parliament on Saturday urged the International Criminal Court to prosecute Israeli officials for "genocide" after an 11-day conflict with Palestinians that claimed over 260 lives.

Mohamed Ould Rzeizime, a lawmaker from the ruling Union for the Republic party, told AFP that the 157-seat national assembly unanimously adopted the non-binding resolution. 

"The national assembly considers the ongoing Zionist aggression against the Palestinian people as one of the worst crimes of genocide," read the resolution, which was seen by AFP. 

It added that the International Criminal Court (ICC) based in The Hague must "prosecute those involved in this aggression".

Mauritania, a conservative Muslim nation of 4.5 million people, broke off diplomatic relations with Israel in 2009.

The ICC had already opened an investigation in March into possible war crimes in the Palestinian Territories by both Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups since 2014.

The move infuriated Israel which is not a member of the court, while Palestine has been a state party to the ICC since 2015.

Last week, outgoing ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said that she noted with "great concern the escalation of violence" in the West Bank and Gaza "and the possible commission of crimes under the Rome Statute," which founded the ICC.

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