Palestinian gov't urges int'l court to investigate "Israeli war crimes"

RAMALLAH, April 10 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian national unity government urged on Tuesday the International Criminal Court (ICC) to launch an immediate investigation into "Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity" of killing Palestinians.

In a press statement issued after its weekly meeting, the Palestinian government highlighted the urgency of the ICC move "to hold Israel accountable" to stop its crimes against the Palestinians.

The statement renewed the call for "a unified and serious international position and work to provide immediate international protection for the unarmed Palestinian people and take effective positions towards the U.S. position that threatens international peace and stability."

The government also criticized the Israeli soldiers for their "killings of Palestinian peaceful demonstrators," describing them as "cold blooded field executions."

It slammed the U.S. for blocking a UN Security Council (UNSC) resolution urging Israel to respect international law and the right of civilians to hold peaceful demonstrations.

It also said that the "failure of the UNSC for the second time to reach a final statement on Gaza showed the incompetency of the system to fulfil its duties and its inability to stop crimes committed against Palestinians."

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