TEL AVIV: The Israeli government said that it will formally reject the International Criminal Court (ICC) probe into possible war crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories.

As per a statement issued on Thursday by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, it states that  Israel will formally respond to a notification from the ICC with a letter to clarify that it will not cooperate with the investigation.  The letter will "make it clear that the ICC lacks the jurisdiction to investigate" and Israel is able to investigate itself, it said. Israel also "completely rejects" charges of possible war crimes committed by the Jewish state against the Palestinians, it added.

The letter would also "reiterate Israel's unequivocal position that The Hague tribunal has no authority to open an investigation against it".  The Palestinians have welcomed the investigation and said they will not seek any deferral.

In February, a panel of judges at the ICC decided that the tribunal does have jurisdiction to investigate possible war crimes by Israel in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.

Israel annexed East Jerusalem shortly after the war, claiming it as part of its "indivisible capital" in an act never recognized by most of the international community.

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