Palestinians would trigger case if ICC Gaza inquiry took too long - foreign minister

THE HAGUE (Reuters) - The Palestinian government would allow the International Criminal Court ample time to conduct an inquiry into possible war crimes during last year's Gaza conflict, but would make a formal referral if it took too long, its foreign minister said. Speaking to Reuters after the Palestinian Authority became the ICC's 123rd member on Wednesday, Riyad al-Maliki also said his government would have no hesitation in handing over any Palestinian suspects, including himself or other senior government officials, if the ICC asked it to do so. "We have to give (the prosecutor) the benefit of the doubt, ample time to do that preliminary investigation," he said. "If we feel that it ... is not going to lead to any official investigation or will take more than expected in terms of time, we will utilise our advantage of issuing a referral." (Reporting By Thomas Escritt; editing by John Stonestreet)