The head of the Arab League says his organization wants the International Criminal Court in The Hague to investigate the deaths of 17 Palestinians during protests near the Gaza Strip-Israel border last weekend.
During an official visit to Lisbon, Portugal, on Wednesday, Ahmed Aboul-Gheit said the Arab League also supports a call by U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres for an independent investigation into the deaths. The 17 protesters – including 10 known terrorists – were killed after a mass march on the border turned violent and clashes erupted between demonstrators and Israeli security forces.
Palestinian Ambassador to Egypt Diab al-Louhfor, who also serves as the Palestinian Authority's permanent representative in the Arab League, said, "We Palestinians are calling for urgent international protection. The Arab League has supported this demand at this meeting. Everyone has followed the Israeli massacre against our people and the … use of excessive force against civilians."
Aboul-Gheit stressed that Palestinians are demanding their rights "and they will not be forgotten or diminished."
Sudanese Ambassador to Egypt Abdel Mahmoud Abdel Halim added, "The statement issued by the delegates insists that the Palestinian cause will remain the cause of the Arab world. The Arab countries will never give up the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. They call on the U.N. Security Council and the entire international community to protect the Palestinian people."
