The United Nations High Court has issued an unprecedented and sweeping condemnation of Israel’s rule over lands it conquered 57 years ago.
The UN Supreme Court declared Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territories “illegal” on Friday, condemning Israel’s control over the land it conquered 57 years ago and calling for an immediate halt to settlement construction.
In its non-binding opinion, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) cited various policies, including Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, exploitation of natural resources, annexation and discrimination against Palestinians. therefore, they all violate international law.
The 15-judge panel affirmed that Israel’s “abuse of its status as an occupying power” made its “presence in occupied Palestinian territory illegal.” He stressed that Israel’s continued existence is “illegal” and must end “as soon as possible.” According to the 83-page opinion read by the court chairman Nawaf Salam, Israel must immediately stop the settlement construction and demolish the existing settlements.
Israel, which often considers the United Nations and international courts biased, did not send a legal team to the hearings. However, he submitted written submissions to the Court arguing that the questions were biased and did not take into account Israel’s security concerns. Israeli officials said the court’s involvement in the case could jeopardize the peace process, which has been stalled for more than a decade.
In response to the decision, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated that the West Bank and East Jerusalem are part of the historic “homeland” of the Jewish people. He said on the social network: “The Jewish people are not victorious neither in their own land, nor in our eternal capital Jerusalem, nor in the land of our ancestors in Judea and Samaria. » He rejected the court’s decision, calling it a distortion of the historical truth, and said that the legality of Israel’s settlements in these territories is indisputable.
Even if the Court’s opinion, requested by the UN General Assembly after a Palestinian appeal, is unlikely to change Israel’s policy, its general nature, including the claim that Israel cannot claim sovereignty over the territories and that the Palestinians are denying their rights. -determination can influence international opinion.
The development comes in the context of Israel’s ten-month military campaign in Gaza, fueled by Hamas attacks in southern Israel. Separately, the International Court of Justice is hearing South Africa’s complaint that Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute genocide, a charge Israel vehemently denies.
In the 1967 Middle East war, Israel conquered the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. Israel views the West Bank as disputed territory whose future must be determined through negotiations, and has established settlements to consolidate its control. It annexed East Jerusalem in a move not recognized by the international community, and although it withdrew from Gaza in 2005, it has maintained a blockade since Hamas took control of the area in 2007. The international community generally considers these three territories to be occupied territories.
During the hearings in February, then-Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki accused Israel of “apartheid” and called on the Court to declare the Israeli occupation illegal and to immediately and unconditionally end the two-state solution in order to make it sustainable. The Palestinians presented their case together with 49 other countries and three international organizations.
Erwin van Veen, a researcher at the Clingendael think tank in The Hague, believes that if the Court finds that Israel’s policies in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are contrary to international law, it “could further isolate Israel internationally. point of view. Such a move would weaken the justification for the occupation and strengthen supporters of boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel. It could also encourage more countries to recognize, especially the Western State of Palestine.
This is not the first time the ICJ has issued an opinion on Israeli policy. Twenty years ago, the Court ruled that Israel’s separation barrier in the West Bank was “contrary to international law.” Israel boycotted the procedure and said it was politically motivated.
Israel views the barrier as a security measure, while Palestinians often see it as a land grab, as it extends all the way to the West Bank.
According to the anti-settlement watchdog group Peace Now, Israel has built more than 100 settlements in the West Bank, and the number of settlers has increased by more than 15 percent in the past five years to more than 500,000 Israelis. Israel also annexed East Jerusalem, home to 200,000 Israelis, which Israel considers the neighborhoods of its capital. Palestinians in the city are systematically discriminated against, preventing them from building or expanding their homes.
The international community generally considers all settlements illegal and an obstacle to peace because they are built on land on which Palestinians aspire to build their own state.
The Netanyahu government, which is dominated by settlers and their political supporters, has given unprecedented powers to finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, a former settlement leader, over settlement policy. Smotrich made plans for more settlements in colonies and legalized outposts. Authorities recently approved the appropriation of 12.7 square kilometers of land in the Jordan Valley, the largest single appropriation since the 1993 Oslo Accords.
The court’s decision could have a significant impact on Israel’s policy and the international view of the Middle East peace process as a whole.