RAMALLAH, May 7 (Xinhua) -- Head of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Detainees Affairs Commission Eassa Qaraqe' said Monday that Palestine will file a legal complaint against Israel at the International Criminal Court (ICC) next Friday.
Qaraqe' told the official Palestinian radio station (Voice of Palestine) that the complaint is about Israeli "crimes against Palestinian prisoners" in Israeli jails, to seek an adoption of a legal status of Palestinian detainees as war prisoners.
He said the move comes against the backdrop of Israeli Minister of Defense Avigdor Liberman's "attack against Palestinian prisoners" and threats to pass a new bill that would allow Israeli authorities to deduct money that the Palestinian authority pays to families of slain Palestinians and prisoners.
The Israeli Knesset is scheduled to discuss a new bill Monday with the aim to deduct Palestinian prisoners' allowances from tax revenues transferred by Israel to the Palestinian authority.
According to observers, the bill is likely to pass with a majority vote.
Palestinian officials have threatened repeatedly to resort to the ICC for an investigation into Israeli violations of international law and rights of Palestinians.
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said last April that it followed up closely with the court to open an investigation into Israeli "crimes against Palestinians."