Palestinian gov't slams "international silence" over Israel's crimes

RAMALLAH, April 10 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday slammed what it called the "international silence over the documented Israeli crimes" against Palestinians.

The ministry issued a statement after a video footage emerged showing an Israeli sniper celebrating after hitting a Palestinian man in Gaza during clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian protesters along the Gaza-Israel border.

It stated that "the world's silence over the crimes and exemplary punishment of Palestinians without accountability and pursuit of Israeli war crimes is considered as a participation in those crimes that are not less dangerous than the crimes themselves."

The ministry also said that it was following up closely with the International Criminal Court (ICC) to open an investigation into Israel's crimes against Palestinians.

It added that the video showed that "the extent of hatred and racism" within the Israeli army and "the lack of any humane values" by Israeli security, military and political officials.

A video went viral on social media and Israeli news outlets, showing that an Israeli soldier pointing his gun towards a Palestinian man standing in a group hundreds of meters away from the border fence, without seeming to pose any sort of threat. The soldier celebrated happily after hitting the man and yelled curses.

Israeli media reported that it would investigate the incident seen in the video.

About 30 Palestinians have been killed and more than 3,000 others were wounded by Israeli forces since the beginning of the Great March of Return held by the Palestinians at the Gaza border on March 30. Enditem