Dhaka, March 4 -- The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor has said her office will formally investigate war crimes in the Palestinian Territories, a move welcomed by the Palestinian Authority and denounced by Israel.

The decision follows a ruling by the court on Feb. 5 that it has jurisdiction in the case, prompting swift rejections by Washington and Jerusalem, reports Reuters.

"The decision to open an investigation followed a painstaking preliminary examination undertaken by my office that lasted close to five years," Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said in a statement on Wednesday.

Promising a "principled, non-partisan, approach", she said, "In the end, our central concern must be for the victims of crimes, both Palestinian and I...