‘This is a summary of an event held by the International Law Programme at Chatham House in association with Doughty Street Chambers.1 The meeting examined the implications of the UN General Assembly’s decision to accord Palestine the status of non-member observer state in 2012, issues concerning Palestine’s prospective accession to the Rome Statute, and the possibility for Palestine to lodge a declaration giving the International Criminal Court (ICC) retroactive jurisdiction over Israeli military operations in Gaza such as ‘Cast Lead’, ‘Pillar of Defense’ and ‘Protective Edge’.
The meeting was held before Palestine submitted to the UN, on 2 January 2015, a document of accession to the Rome Statute and the subsequent declaration by the UN Secretary-General that this treaty will ‘enter into force for the State of Palestine on 1 April 2015’,2 and before Palestine lodged with the ICC a new declaration under article 12(3) of the Rome Statute, accepting the court’s jurisdiction retrospectively to 13 June 2014.
The meeting was not held under the Chatham House rule. However, the comments and opinions presented by each speaker were made in their own personal capacity and do not necessarily reflect the views of their respective institutions.’
