Australian government tells ICC it should not investigate alleged war crimes in Palestine

Prosecutor rejects Australia's argument International Criminal Court has no jurisdiction because Palestine is not a state'

The Australian government has told the International Criminal Court it should not investigate alleged war crimes in Palestine because Palestine is not a state", arguing the court prosecutor's investigation into alleged attacks on civilians, torture, attacks on hospitals, and the use of human shields, should be halted on jurisdictional grounds.

Australia was lobbied to make the submission to the court by Israel, which is not a party to the court. But the office of the prosecutor has rejected Australia's argument, saying it had not formally challenged Palestine's right to be a party to the court before.