The Palestinian leadership should immediately sign the Rome Statute and drag Israel to the International Criminal Court, Palestinian National Initiative Chief Dr. Mustafa Barghouti said in a statement to the press today. 

Dr. Barghouti said numbered Palestinian minister Ziad Abu Ein, who was killed on Wednesday during clashes with the army, as the 2265^th Palestinian martyr to fall at the hands of the Israeli army since the beginning of this year.  He was the 50^th Palestinian to be killed during the Israeli army’s violent suppression of popular resistance protests this year.

The world must impose sanctions on, and enact immediate boycotts of, Israel, said Barghouti, instead of hiding behind shy demands for investigations.

As the crimes of the Israeli army become clearer, Barghouti argued, there can no longer be any justification for delaying the signing of the Rome Statute and immediately dragging Israel to the International Criminal Court in order to deter future crimes against the Palestinian people. 

Barghouti stressed that violent suppression from the occupation will not weaken, but inflame Palestinian popular resistance efforts aimed at achieving freedom, independence and dignity. 

The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court established four core international crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression.