Angered by Palestinian steps to join the International Criminal Court, Israel may seek to prosecute senior Palestinians for war crimes, according to an Israeli official, The Jerusalem Post reported on January 3.

The Israeli official emphasized that Palestinian leaders themselves”ought to fear legal steps” after this action. “Israel is weighing the possibilities for large-scale prosecution in the United States and elsewhere” of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and other senior Palestinians, the official said.

The Post reported further:

Israel would probably press these cases via non-governmental groups and pro-Israel legal organizations capable of filing lawsuits abroad… Israel sees the heads of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank as collaborators with Hamas militant Islamists in Gaza because of a unity deal they forged in April, the official said…

“(Hamas) … commits war crimes, shooting at civilians from civilian populated areas,” the official said, alluding to a war in Gaza last summer in which more than 2,100 Palestinians and more than 70 Israelis died.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously warned that such actions by the Palestinians would expose its leaders to prosecution over their collaboration with the Hamas terrorist organization. The United States also opposed the move arguing that it “could damage the peace process.”

According to the Post pursuing Israel in the ICC is a violation of American law endangering the $400 million in annual aid that the Palestinians receive from the United States.

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