At the ICC, Israel has been facing separate proceedings, related to the war crimes investigation launched in 2021 by its former chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda. The ICC is the world’s only permanent international court with the power to prosecute senior officials for international crimes. But the PA is not the only ICC member that initiated referrals against Israel. Triestino Mariniello, an international lawyer who represents Palestine at the ICC, said the PA has no authority to cease the case. “It’s not in the competence of the PA to drop the ICC case,” he told Middle East Eye.