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In a landmark opinion delivered on Friday, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian territory illegal, calling for its immediate end. The advisory opinion from the Hague-based court has been hailed as “historic” by the Palestinian presidency but condemned as a “decision of lies” by Israel.
The ICJ’s advisory opinion, though not legally binding, carries significant diplomatic weight and comes amidst growing international concern over the death toll and destruction from Israel’s war in Gaza. This opinion is likely to increase pressure on Israel, especially after its lawmakers voted against recognizing a Palestinian state, deeming it an “existential threat.”
ICJ presiding judge Nawaf Salam stated, “The court has found… that Israel’s continued presence in the Palestinian Territories is illegal.” He emphasized that Israel is “under the obligation to bring to an end its unlawful presence as rapidly as possible.” The court also mandated that Israel cease all new settlement activities and evacuate settlers from occupied land.
The ICJ further noted that Israel’s policies, including the construction of a separation wall, effectively annex large parts of the occupied territory.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the ICJ’s opinion, labeling it a “decision of lies” and asserting, “The Jewish people are not occupiers in their own land -– not in our eternal capital Jerusalem, nor in our ancestral heritage of Judea and Samaria” (the occupied West Bank).
Conversely, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki praised the ruling as a “watershed moment.”
In a related development, South Africa has brought a separate, high-profile case before the ICJ, accusing Israel of committing genocidal acts during its Gaza offensive. South Africa has called on the international community “to bring an immediate end to the occupation and the gross violations of international humanitarian and human rights law being perpetrated by Israel against the Palestinian people.”