Photos:International Criminal Court and Yousef Zaanoun

Since 2009, when the Palestinian Authority first sought to transfer jurisdiction over the 'Situation in the State of Palestine' to the International Criminal Court (ICC), Al-Haq has emphasised the potential value of the Court in holding to account those individuals responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of genocide.

Subsequent Palestinian interaction with the Court became bound up with questions of statehood and self-determination leading to prolonged delay. Since early 2021, when the Court affirmed it could exercise jurisdiction in the State of Palestine, and the Office of the Prosecutor moved to open the investigation into the 'Situation in the State of Palestine', Israeli repression of Palestinian human rights has both consistently deepened and escalated.

By November 2024, when the Court issued arrest warrants for Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu, and then Minister of Defence, Gallant, on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, Israeli repression had already been characterised as genocide. Israel's policy up until the point where the Office of the Prosecutor announced its intention to apply for the arrest warrants had been to not engage directly with the Court. Since mid-2024 however, Israel has filed a range of claims, applications, and requests in an attempt to appeal against the arrest warrants before the Court, delaying the processes underway.

Israel’s key ally, the United States, has in turn attacked the Court's ability to function through an array of threats and sanctions, which were weaponised against Al-Haq in September 2025 for its prominent role in promoting accountability for Israel's mass atrocities against the Palestinian people. Despite repeated delays, obfuscation, and threats, Al-Haq continues to stress the importance of the Court and the legal values and principles incorporated in the Rome Statute.

Still, the Court has, as of yet, been unable to provide justice and accountability for the ever-increasing crimes being perpetrated daily in unlawfully occupied Palestine. Its potential to end impunity globally, is clearly evidenced by the fact that the Court and its staff, as well as those who engage with it, are subject to intensifying threats and sanctions from both Israel and the United States.

The following timeline provides an overview of the key Palestine-related developments before the ICC.