Abbas establishes committee to gather complaints to bring to ICC

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday issued a “presidential decree” calling for the establishment of a committee to oversee the cases that the Palestinians plan to bring against Israel at the International Criminal Court (ICC).The 40-member committee, headed by chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat, would be formed in cooperation with Palestinian ministries and institutions, including NGO’s.The committee has been entrusted with “preparing files and documents, which the State of Palestine will present to the ICC through a technical committee headed by the Foreign Ministry.”The committee would hold consultations with the ICC and other relevant local and international institutions, as well legal advisors, lawyers and legal firms defending the Palestinians, Abbas’s decree stated.Abbas also decided to allocate a budget for the work of the committee, which will report to him directly.