People hold candles during a protest in Cairo, Egypt, on April 3, 2018. The Arab League (AL) expressed on Tuesday its support for the Palestinian request for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to open an investigation into the recent "war crimes and crimes against humanity" committed by Israel against peaceful Palestinian civilians. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)
CAIRO, April 3 (Xinhua) -- The Arab League (AL) expressed on Tuesday its support for the Palestinian request for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to open an investigation into the recent "war crimes and crimes against humanity" committed by Israel against peaceful Palestinian civilians.
Following a meeting at the level of AL permanent delegates, mostly ambassadors of Arab states to Cairo, the AL Council condemned in a statement the recent Israeli killing of unarmed Palestinian demonstrators during peaceful marches commemorating the 42nd anniversary of the Land Day and calling for the right of return of Palestinian refugees.
"The AL condemns the Israeli obvious, systematic and large-scale crimes against the defenseless Palestinian civilians that are considered war crimes and crimes against humanity according to the international humanitarian law and the international human rights law," said the pan-Arab body in the statement.
The AL Council also urged the United Nations to take the required measures to form an international fact-finding committee to probe into the Israeli violence committed against Palestinian civilians last Friday.
At least 15 Palestinian protestors were shot dead and more than 1,200 others were injured by Israeli troops on the Gaza Strip border during the Land Day marches.
The Israeli deadly crackdown on unarmed Palestinian protestors has been rejected by many states regionally and internationally.
Israel is blamed by the international community for the deadlock of the peace process with the Palestinians due to its settlement expansion policy on Palestinian occupied territories.
The Palestinians seek to establish an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital in the light of the UN-proposed two-state solution based on the pre-1967 borders.
The United States is the number one backer of Israel and U.S. President Donald Trump has recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital and expressed plans to move Washington's embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to the disputable holy city despite regional and international uproar.
