The Concept of State in Exercising the Jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court: The Palestine Situation

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Assistant Professor, Department of Criminal Law and Criminology, Faculty of Law, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

The International Criminal Court (ICC, the Court) enables States to pursue the ideal of international criminal justice without imposing formal conditions. Since only States can become members of the Court, a fundamental question arises: is statehood necessary for the Court to exercise its jurisdiction according to the provisions of public international law? This paper hypothesizes that the primary criterion for the Court is its objectives and the existence of conditions for exercising territorial jurisdiction, even in the absence of clearly defined borders. Employing a descriptive-analytical research method, this study draws upon legal doctrine, international documents, and general legal principles. It examines two perspectives within public international law and international criminal law to critically analyze the decision of Pre-Trial Chamber I regarding Palestine. The findings suggest that in exercising its jurisdiction, the Court operates independently of the rigid criteria traditionally associated with the concept of statehood in public international law.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Akehurst, Michael, A Modern Introduction to International Law (Routledge 1989).
Bassiouni, M Cherif, International Criminal Law (Vol 1, 3rd edn, Martius Nijhoff Publishers 2008).
Bassiouni, M Cherif, Principles of Legality in International and Comparative Criminal Law in International Criminal Law (Vol 1, 3rd edn, Martius Nijhoff Publishers 2008).
Bledsoe, Robert L and Boleslaw A Boczek, International Law Dictionary (ABC-Clio Inc 1987).
Cassese, Antonio, International Criminal Law (Oxford University Press 2008).
Cassese, Antonio, International Law in an Unconditional World (Oxford University Press 1989).
Crawford, James, The Creation of States in International Law (2nd edn, Clarendon Press 2006).
Daes, E I, Status of the Individual in Contemporary International Law (United Nations 1992).
Kittichaisaree, Kriangsak, International Criminal Law (Oxford University Press 2001).
Momeni, Mahdi, International Criminal Law (Payam Noor University Press 1400). [In Persian]
Momeni, Mahdi, Principles of Legality of Crimes and Punishments in International Criminal Law (Mizan Publishing 2013). [In Persian]
Sepehri Ardakani, Ali, Seiri dar tarikhe felestin: Taking a Look at the History of Palestine (Mirathe Mandegar Publishing 2004). [In Persian]
Sokolow, Nahum, History of Zionism (Adamant Media Corporation 2001).
Taj, Majid Safa, Farhange Jame`e Felestin: Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Palestine (Safir Ardehal Publishing 2007, Vol II). [In Persian]
The Origins and Evolution of the Palestine Problem 1917-1988 (prepared for and under the guidance of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, United Nations 1990).
Tsilonis, Victor, The Jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21526-2.
Delgrande, Joe, 'An Examination of Palestine’s Statehood Status through the Lens of the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber’s Decision and Beyond' (2021) Journal of International Law and Politics October.
Heinsch, Robert and Pinzauti, Giulia, 'To Be (A State) or Not to Be?: The Relevance of the Law of Belligerent Occupation with Regard to Palestine’s Statehood Before the ICC' (2020) 18 Oxford Journal of International Criminal Justice 927.
Imseis, Ardi, 'State of Exception: Critical Reflections on the Amici Curiae Observations and Other Communications of States Parties to the Rome Statute in the Palestine Situation' (2020) 18 Oxford Journal of International Criminal Justice 905.
Kadkhodayi, Abbasali and Maqami, Amir, 'Consequences of Constitutionalist Reading of International Law' (2017) 48 Journal of International Law 38. [In Persian]
Koechler, Hans, 'The Right of the Palestinian People to Self-Determination; The Basis of Peace in the Middle East' (translated by Mohammad Habibi) (2000) Quarterly Journal of Palestinian Studies Summer No 4, 75.
Kotecha, Birju, 'The International Criminal Court’s Selectivity and Procedural Justice' (2020) 18 Oxford Journal of International Criminal Justice 107.
Mariniello, Triestino and Meloni, Chantal, 'Foreword: Litigating Palestine Before the International Criminal Court' (2020) 18 Oxford Journal of International Criminal Justice 881.
McIntyre, Gabrielle, 'The ICC, Self-Created Challenges and Missed Opportunities to Legitimize Authority Over Non-States Parties' (2021) 19 Journal of International Criminal Justice 511.
Ronen, Yael, 'Palestine in the ICC: Statehood and the Right to Self-Determination in the Absence of Effective Control' (2020) 18 Oxford Journal of International Criminal Justice 947.
ICC-01/18-143, Pre-Trial Chamber I, 'Decision on the Prosecution Request Pursuant to Article 19(3) for a Ruling on the Court's Territorial Jurisdiction in Palestine' (5 February 2021).
ICC-OTP, 'Statement of ICC Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, on the Conclusion of the Pre-Trial Examination of the Situation in Palestine and Seeking a Ruling on the Scope of the Court's Territorial Jurisdiction' (20 December 2019).
ICC-OTP, 'Statement of ICC Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, on the Situation in Palestine: Summary of Pre-Trial Examination Findings' (3 March 2021).
International Criminal Court, 'Referral by the State of Palestine Pursuant to Article 13(a) and 14 of the Statute' (15 May 2018).
International Criminal Court, 'Situation in the State of Palestine: Prosecution Request Pursuant to Article 19(3) for a Ruling on the Court's Territorial Jurisdiction in Palestine' (No ICC-01/18, 22 January 2020).
International Criminal Court, 'Situation in the State of Palestine: William Schabas, Opinion in Accordance with Article 103 of the Rules of Procedure and Evidence' (Case No ICC-01/18, 15 March 2020).
Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (Advisory Opinion) (9 July 2004).
Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States (26 December 1933).
Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Protests in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (25 February 2019, A/HRC/40/74).
Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (17 July 1998).
United Nations General Assembly, Resolution 181 II (1947), Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Palestinian Question (29 November 1947).
United Nations General Assembly, Resolution 2625 (1970), Declaration on Principles of International Law Concerning Friendly Relations (XXV).
United Nations General Assembly, Resolution 2734 (1970), Declaration on the Strengthening of International Security (16 December 1970).
United Nations Security Council, Resolution 101 (1953), S/3139/Rev.2 (24 November 1953).
United Nations Security Council, Resolution 106 (1955), S/3378 (29 March 1955).
United Nations Security Council, Resolution 111 (1956), S/3538 (19 January 1956).
United Nations Security Council, Resolution 217 (1965), S/RES/217 (20 November 1965).
United Nations Security Council, Resolution 233 (1967), S/RES/233 (6 June 1967).
United Nations Security Council, Resolution 2334 (2016), S/RES/2334 (23 December 2016).
United Nations Security Council, Resolution 237 (1967), S/RES/237 (14 June 1967).
United Nations Security Council, Resolution 242 (1967), S/RES/242 (22 November 1967).
United Nations Security Council, Resolution 252 (1968), S/RES/252 (21 May 1968).
United Nations Security Council, Resolution 270 (1969), S/RES/270 (26 August 1969).
United Nations Security Council, Resolution 271 (1969), S/RES/271 (15 September 1969).
United Nations Security Council, Resolution 311 (1972), S/RES/311 (4 February 1972).
United Nations Security Council, Resolution 446 (1979), S/RES/446 (22 March 1979).
United Nations Security Council, Resolution 54 (1948), S/902 (15 July 1948).
United Nations Security Council, Resolution 662 (1990), S/RES/662 (9 August 1990).
Curia.europa.eu, http://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf?jsessionid=pp:32&52.
EUR-Lex, http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/txt/.
International Criminal Court, https://asp.icc-cpi.int.
U.S. Department of State, http://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1939/mukden-incident.
Iranian Journal of International and Comparative Law
Volume 2, Issue 1
June 2024
Pages 23-40

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics