The decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to initiate an investigation into possible war crimes committed in the Occupied Territories has been warmly welcomed by millions of Palestinians. For years, we have gone through the dichotomy of robust international reports on well-documented Israeli crimes and violations, while at the same time witnessing efforts to protect Israel from any accountability. The absence of justice has been the main reason why peace has not been achieved and, therefore, it is mandatory for everyone to cooperate with the ICC. Last week’s announcement did not come out in a vacuum. It follows years of work by Palestinian officials and civil society that has provided the court with enough documentation to initiate its own investigation. We all remember how the late Dr. Saeb Erekat, a Fatah Central Committee member, served as the driving force behind Palestine’s accession to the court, and it is his legacy that we are partially celebrating today. Yes, we are aware that this is only the start of a long path and that justice won’t be served quickly, but we celebrate the beginning of a process that brings hope to our people. We have all, including my family, been victims of Israeli crimes. My son Jihad was a bright 20-year-old student at An Najah National University. At the end of September 2000, he was peacefully demonstrating against the Israeli occupation with his classmates when a sniper shot him twice. He first fell to the floor and his friend tried to cover him with his arms, but the second shot went straight to his head. This is not an episode I like referring to in public, but I can only say that the ICC decision reminded me of my son. At that time, I was the governor of Nablus and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak wanted to offer his condolences, which of course I rejected. They should apologize to all the Palestinian people and not only to an authority. Most importantly, they should repair the damage and pay for their brutal crimes, as Jihad’s death was not an isolated case, but rather was part of a well-documented shoot-to-kill policy that has taken the lives of thousands of Palestinian men and women. The criminal responsible for the killing of my son has never served a single day in prison. Israel is a country used to promoting war criminals to top positions: Brutal murderers such as Ariel Sharon ended up being allowed to continue committing crimes as prime minister. The ICC won’t investigate Jihad’s case because of its old date. But Jihad was not the last Palestinian cowardly killed by Israeli forces. Most importantly, hopefully the ICC will contribute to preventing future crimes. Some are already arguing that the court “doesn’t have jurisdiction.” This is a cheap excuse. Those who claim so are the same ones who oppose any measure of accountability for the Israeli occupation. In other words, their point is not “procedural,” but rather is bluntly about stripping the Palestinian people of our inalienable right to justice. Not just that: They also want to deny Palestine any sort of resistance, banning everything from armed struggle to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, diplomacy and now legal tools. After decades of systematic Israeli crimes and violations, we can only take this attitude as an endorsement of Israel’s policies and complicity in its crimes. We are aware this is only the start of a long path, but we celebrate the beginning of a process that brings hope to our people. Mahmoud Al-Aloul With the ICC announcement, we have jumped into a new stage in our long path to freedom and independence. We shall prevail through the resilience of our brave nation, which has, after decades of systematic Israeli crimes, been able to find a new path toward justice. Now it is time for all governments to cooperate with the court, avoid Israel’s attempts to deny the Palestinian people their right to justice and move forward toward the freedom and independence of Palestine by fully ending the Israeli occupation. Mahmoud Al-Aloul is a member and vice president of the Fatah Central Committee. Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Arab News" point-of-view