The building of the International Court of Justice in The Hague. International Court of Justice: Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory must end immediately International Law
Israel’s presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is illegal and must end. The International Court of Justice came to this conclusion in response to a request from the UN General Assembly.
The UN’s main judicial body, responding to a request from the General Assembly, issued an advisory opinion on Friday regarding the legal consequences arising from Israeli policies and practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.
In particular, the Court finds that the continued presence of the State of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful and must be terminated as soon as possible. According to the advisory opinion, Israel is also obliged to immediately put an end to the establishment of new settlements and to evacuate all settlers from Palestinian territory. In addition, the Court concluded that Israel must pay compensation for damage caused to Palestinian individuals or entities.
According to the members of the UN Court, all states and international organizations are obliged not to recognize as legitimate the situation resulting from the illegal presence of the State of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and not to provide assistance or assistance in maintaining these conditions. The Court also called on the United Nations, in particular the General Assembly and the Security Council, to consider the specific measures necessary to end as quickly as possible the illegal presence of the State of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
The International Court of Justice finds that the regime of comprehensive restrictions imposed by Israel against Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory constitutes systematic discrimination on the basis of, inter alia, race, religion or ethnic origin, in violation of a number of international instruments. Also, according to the judges, Israel’s illegal policies and practices violate the country’s obligation to respect the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.
The opinion states that Israel has no right to sovereignty over any or part of the Occupied Palestinian Territory or to exercise sovereign powers in connection with the occupation. Moreover, Israeli security considerations cannot outweigh the principle of the prohibition of acquiring territory by force.
The Court found that Israeli policies and practices towards Palestinian territory and Palestinians are a violation of international law. The continuation of such policies and practices is illegal and entails international responsibility, the judges emphasized.
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