ICC sends letter to Israel, 30 days to respond: Reports

By Abdelraouf Arna'out

JERUSALEM (AA) - Israel said it received an official letter from the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague clarifying the scope of its war crimes probe in Palestine, according to local media.

Israeli Channel 13 said on Thursday the letter requested Israel respond to the letter within 30 days.

Neither the ICC nor Israel have confirmed the dispatch or receipt of the letter.

ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda announced earlier this month the launch of a war crimes investigation over the Palestinian territories, which have been under Israeli occupation since 1967.

The Palestinian Authority welcomed the investigation, while Israel said it would not cooperate with it.

The Israeli channel said the letter was sent over the weekend and that Israel's National Security Council already met to formulate an official response.

It added that the letter covers three main topics: the 2014 war on Gaza, Israeli settlement policy, and the Great Return marches in Gaza in 2018.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin has started an official visit to Europe aimed at convincing European countries to pressure the court to cancel its probe.

Israel alleges that the ICC has no jurisdiction to open such an investigation and hopes to keep delaying the case until Bensouda is replaced in June by Karim Khan, a British lawmaker Israel expects to be less hostile than Bensouda.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara