On 17 November 2023 South Africa, joined by Bangladesh, Bolivia, Comoros and Djibouti, referred the situation in the State of Palestine to the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) of the International Criminal Court (ICC) pursuant to Article 14 of the Rome Statute. Although Israel is not a State Party, the ICC has jurisdiction over crimes committed in the Palestinian territories by nationals of Israel. The ICC also has jurisdiction over crimes committed in Israel by nationals of the State of Palestine. Through this referral, South Africa has not called upon the OTP to investigate specific persons, rather it is a call upon the OTP to prioritise the Palestine situation and to vigorously investigate all crimes committed in the situation that fall within the jurisdiction of the ICC.