Palestinian Authority plans to accuse Ariel Sharon in front of International Criminal Court
Tue Jul 23 2002 22:55:55 ET

The Palestinian Authority will file a complaint with the newly established International Criminal Court over the Israeli air strike on Gaza City which killed 15 people, including civilians and children, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's top adviser said.

"We will ask the ICC for an urgent trial over the crime against humanity carried out last night by the occupation forces," Nabil Abu Rudeina said, in reference to the Israeli missile attack, which killed the leader of the radical group Hamas' armed wing.

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"This will be a real test for this court. We hope the trial will start immediately, to look into Sharon's policies, which have destroyed the peace process and all international efforts to put it back on track," Rudeina told Agence France-Presse.

The ICC investigates and prosecutes alleged crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes. Its jurisdiction began on July 1, but Israel is one of several countries which have refused to ratify its 1998 founding treaty.

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