International Court of Justice: Palestinians demand end of Israeli occupation

The Hague (Quds News Network) – Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki on Monday demanded an immediate end to Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories at the start of hearings on the legal status of the disputed land at the United Nations’ top court.

More than 50 states will present arguments before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague until Feb. 26, following a 2022 request from the U.N. General Assembly for an advisory, or non-binding, opinion on the occupation.

Al-Maliki affirmed that Israel, the occupying power, has been subjecting Palestinians to decades of discrimination and apartheid – accusations Israel has rejected – arguing that they had been left with the choice of “displacement, subjugation, or death”.

“The only solution consistent with international law is for this illegal occupation to come to an immediate, unconditional and total end,” he said.

The judges are expected to take several months to deliberate before issuing their opinion.

Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem – areas of historic Palestine which the Palestinians want for a state – in the 1967 conflict. It withdrew from Gaza in 2005, but, along with neighbouring Egypt, still controls its borders.

The hearing is part of Palestinian efforts to get international legal institutions to examine Israel’s conduct. These have stepped up since Israel’s war on Gaza.

In December 2022, the UN General Assembly asked the ICJ for a non-binding “advisory opinion” on the “legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.”

While any ICJ opinion would be non-binding, it comes amid mounting international legal pressure on Israel over the ongoing genocidal onslaught on Gaza, which so far resulted in nearly 29,000 confirmed Palestinian casualties.

The hearings are separate from a high-profile case brought by South Africa alleging that Israel is committing genocidal acts during the current Gaza offensive.

The ICJ ruled in that case in January that Israel must do everything in its power to prevent genocide and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, but stopped short of ordering a ceasefire.

On Friday, it rejected South Africa’s bid to impose additional measures on Israel, but reiterated the need to carry out the ruling in full.

 

 

Related Articles

Back to top button