PA ‘ready’ to take Israel to international court

The move to indict Israel in the International Criminal Court is “ready,” Fatah official Dr. Mohammed Ashtiya said Thursday at a news conference in Ramallah.

“The indictment against Israel at the International Court and all of the accompanying documents are ready,” declared Ashtiya, according to a report in Haaretz. “We are telling the Israelis and the international community that we are very serious. [Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas] is presenting his [plan for Palestinian statehood] to the international community and this time we will require a timetable for ending the occupation and not negotiations.”

Ashtiya clarified that the Palestinians have not set a deadline, but believed there would be more clarity by November-December.

Ashtiya spoke at a press conference at the Palestinian National Economic Council, where he presented a report on the damage in Gaza in the wake of Operation Protective Edge that put the price tag for reconstruction at $7.8 billion. Even with the money, reconstruction would require five years, provided that Israel’s blockade is lifted and the crossings are open, Ashtiya said. If those conditions are not met, it would be impossible to set any sort of deadline for rehabilitating the coastal territory, he added.

According to the PA report, 9,232 buildings in Gaza were destroyed entirely, an additional 9,460 were damaged, 71 mosques were completely destroyed and 205 more were damaged.