The PLO’s patient strategy of turning to ICC paying off with arrest warrants

When Palestine formally joined the International Criminal Court (ICC) nine years ago, officials were keen to stress that the effects take years to materialise.

“I don't want to disappoint our people, but the ICC procedures are slow and long and might face lots of obstacles and challenges and might take years,” said Riyad al-Maliki, the foreign minister of the Palestinian National Authority, better known as Palestinian Authority (PA), at the time.

That lengthy, obstacle-filled process bore fruit on Thursday as the ICC handed out arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant. 

The indictments of the Israeli prime minister and former defence minister mark a historic milestone in the pursuit of justice for Palestinians. 

The decision to go down the route of international legal justice was a long time in the making.

READ MORE: The PLO’s patient strategy of turning to ICC paying off with arrest warrants