Tel Aviv - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denounced the International Criminal Court's (ICC) decision to clear the way for an investigation against the Jewish state on alleged war crimes, and called the move "pure anti-semitism".
"We will fight this perversion of justice," Netanyahu said in a recorded statement on Saturday.
The ICC's decision on Friday came after lengthy deliberations, prompted by a Palestinian request to probe Israeli military actions in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, reports Xinhua news agency.
Welcomed by the Palestinians, the decision by the court says that it has jurisdiction to investigate events that have occurred in territories in the West Bank and Gaza.
"Israel is committed to the fundamental values of international law, and is fully capable of examining alleged violations of the law on its own. There is absolutely no place for the ICC's intervention in matters that are under the jurisdiction of the State of Israel," said a statement released on Saturday by Israel's attorney general Avichai Mandelblit.
"The IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) will continue to defend, the security of Israel and its citizens, in the face of every threat, while adhering fully to the IDF Code of Ethics, the values of the IDF, and national and international law," read a statement by the Israeli military, also released on Saturday.
The ruling, delivered by a pre-trial chamber of three ICC judges, could lead to criminal investigations of Israel and Palestinian militant groups including Hamas. No probe was expected in the near future, however, Reuters reported.