Palestine formally submitted its application to join the International Criminal Court on Friday, a move which has been condemned by the United States and Israel.

Submitting the application, Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour told reporters “this is a very significant step.”

“It is an option that we are seeking in order to seek justice for all the victims that have been killed by Israel, the occupying power… It is a legal option, it is a peaceful option, it is a civilised option and it is an option that anyone who upholds the law should not be afraid of."

Mansour went on to say that Palestinians are “not afraid of the judgement of the law, especially international law.”

A senior State Department official told Reuters that the United States was "deeply troubled by Palestinian action regarding the ICC."

"It should come as no surprise that there will be implications for this step, but we continue to review," the official said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed unspecified “retaliatory steps”, stating "we will take steps in response and defend Israel's soldiers."

Meanwhile, a UN spokesman said that "the documents are being reviewed with a view to determining the appropriate next steps.”

See our earlier posts:

Palestine signs up to the International Criminal Court (31 Dec 2014)

Palestinian statehood resolution fails at UN Security Council by one vote (31 Dec 2014)