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Palestinians seek to join International Criminal Court Palestinians seek to join International Criminal Court
(35 minutes later)
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has signed the Rome Statute in a bid to join the International Criminal Court (ICC).Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has signed the Rome Statute in a bid to join the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Mr Abbas signed the founding treaty of the ICC at a meeting in Ramallah.Mr Abbas signed the founding treaty of the ICC at a meeting in Ramallah.
Correspondents say membership could pave the way for the Palestinians to pursue Israel on war crimes charges.Correspondents say membership could pave the way for the Palestinians to pursue Israel on war crimes charges.
The move follows the rejection of a UN Security Council resolution demanding an end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories by late 2017.The move follows the rejection of a UN Security Council resolution demanding an end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories by late 2017.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. Eight members of the 15-strong Security Council voted for it while the US and Australia voted against.
If you want to receive Breaking News alerts via email, or on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App then details on how to do so are available on this help page. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on Twitter to get the latest alerts. The resolution, condemned by Israel as a "gimmick", needed the support of at least nine members in order to pass.
The Palestinians' chances of joining the ICC were improved after the UN General Assembly voted to upgrade their status to that of a "non-member observer state" in November 2012.
However, the membership process is not guaranteed.
Analysts say signing the Rome Statue could stir up tensions with the US and other major donors to the Palestinian Authority.