| Translate This News In |
|---|
On Saturday, the Palestinians applauded the UN General Assembly’s decision to ask the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for an opinion on the legal implications of Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian lands.
The spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, declared that “the moment has come for Israel to be a state subject to law, and to be held accountable for its continued crimes against our people.”
The decision on Friday “reflects the victory of Palestinian diplomacy,” a senior Palestinian official named Hussein al-Sheikh wrote on Twitter.
In a 1967 war, Israel conquered the territories that the Palestinians aspire for a state: the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem. Although it left Gaza in 2005, it still has control over the enclave’s borders along with its neighbour Egypt.
The supreme UN court that hears disputes between states is the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which has its headquarters in Hague and is frequently referred to as the World Court. Despite the ICJ’s inability to do so, its decisions are legally binding.
In a resolution passed by the General Assembly with 87 votes in favour, the request for a court opinion on Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories was made. A total of 24 members, including the United States, Israel, and 53 abstentions, voted no.
“No international organisation can rule that Jews are ‘occupiers’ in their own country. Before the vote, Israel’s UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan said: “Any decision from a judicial body that obtains its mandate from the morally bankrupt and political UN is utterly invalid.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who was succeeded on Thursday by Benjamin Netanyahu, pleaded with foreign leaders to oppose the action last month, claiming that taking the case to court would “just play into the hands of radicals.”
In 2007, the Islamist organisation Hamas seized control of Gaza following a brief civil war with its adversaries among the more moderate Palestinians. Three Gaza battles have already broken out between Israel and Hamas.
Riyad Mansour, a representative for Palestine at the UN, pointed out that the vote took place the day after a new hard-right Israeli government was sworn in, which has pledged to increase Jewish settlements and implement other controversial domestic and international policies.
We believe that if you support international law and peace, you will support the judgement of the International Court of Justice when it is rendered and you will speak out against the Israeli government right now, regardless of how you vote today.
The UN General Assembly asked the ICJ to provide an advisory opinion on the legal ramifications of Israel’s “occupation, settlement and annexation… including measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem, and from its adoption of related discriminatory legislation and measures.”
The UN resolution also requests the ICJ’s opinion on how these activities “impact the legal status of the occupation” and what legal ramifications result for all nations and the UN from this status.
The International Court of Justice last commented on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in 2004, finding that an Israeli wall separating the two sides was unconstitutional. Israel disagreed with the decision and charged political motivation on the part of the court.
