Grand Imam of Al-Azhar welcomes ICC decision to probe Israeli war crimes against Palestinians: “A Glimmer of hope for retrieving Palestinian rights”.
The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Prof. Aḥmad Aṭ-Ṭayyeb, welcomed the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) decision, issued on Friday, February 5, 2021, granting the court jurisdiction over the war crimes committed by the Zionist entity in the occupied Palestinian territories. Such a decision paves the way for investigations into these inhuman crimes against the Palestinian people.
The Grand Imam’s welcoming note was posted in two languages, Arabic and English, on his Facebook and Twitter accounts. His Eminence wrote, “The ICC’s intention to investigate the Zionist entity’s war crimes against the Palestinian people is a glimmer of hope for partially retrieving usurped Palestinian rights. I call on the international community to support the Palestinian people towards the establishment of their independent state, with Jerusalem as its capital.”
The US State Department had expressed its rejection of the ICC’s decision through a statement posted by the ministry’s spokesperson Ned Price on Saturday, February 6, 2021, in which he stated, “The United States objects to the ICC’s decision regarding the Palestinian situation”. Meanwhile, Prime Minister of the Zionist entity, Benjamin Netanyahu, considered the decision “anti-Semitic.” For his part, Palestinian President, ˁAbbās Abū Māzen, appreciated the ICC’s decision, stating, “This is a great day because we have achieved what we want. From today on, the ICC machinery will begin to accept the lawsuits that we have previously filed.”