The Jerusalem Post reported Monday that Shurat Hadin, The Israel Law Center, filed a war crimes complaint with the International Criminal Court against Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas .

Shurat Hadin – Israel Law Center filed Monday a war crimes complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor against Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. …

The basis of the allegations are reports of Fatah-affiliated armed groups firing significant numbers of rockets on Israel from Gaza during this summer’s Gaza war along with Hamas, who fired most of the rockets.

The NGO argues that Abbas is vicariously liable for the Fatah armed groups’ actions as its leader, though it recognizes that publicly Abbas opposed the rocket fire.

Unlike the Palestinian Authority that he leads, Abbas, as a citizen of Jordan, is subject to the jurisdiction of the ICC. Shurat Hadin used Jordanian citizenship as the basis for a similar complaint to the ICC against Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal in September.

Abbas has sought to internationalize the conflict with Israel by appealing to international organizations. However, a former ICC prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, warned Abbas not to pursue Israel in the ICC out of concern that “the Palestinians could also be investigated for Hamas rocket attacks and suicide bombings against Israeli civilians.”

[Photo: U. S. Department of State / WikiCommons ]