Under international law it is a war crime to transfer land captured militarily to the population of the occupier - such as when Israel bulldozed the houses and evicted over hundred families from the Maghreb quarter in Jerusalem in 1967, and all the land confiscations and colonies built in the Occupied West Bank and extended Jerusalem suburbs (really part of the West Bank).
Indeed, the unilateral re-naming of parts of the West Bank as 'Jerusalem' and the illegal annexation is clearly a war crime under this definition.
But as the Palestine is not yet recognised as sovereign state - it hasn't, apparently, been in a position to legally bring these charges against Israel. This may change, it seems.
The article also says there are consequences for the Palestinian authorities too - so it is a two-way issue.
Israelis could face trial in the Hague if Palestinian statehood recognized at UN, experts warn
According to the statute of the court, the direct or indirect transfer of an occupier’s population into occupied territory constitutes a war crime.
Recognition of a Palestinian state could, in theory, lead to Israeli officials being dragged repeatedly before the International Criminal Court in the Hague for claims regarding its settlement policies in the West Bank, legal experts say.
According to the statute of the court, the direct or indirect transfer of an occupier’s population into occupied territory constitutes a war crime.
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http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/ne ... n-1.383144
Cheers,
Shafique
