On Wednesday, the UN’s top court will hear arguments from the US and Russia over the legitimacy of Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories.
In 2022, the UN General Assembly requested a non-binding opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), sometimes referred to as the World Court, regarding the legal ramifications of the occupation.
In written remarks, Israel, which is not participating, stated that the court’s involvement would be detrimental to reaching a negotiated settlement. Washington is scheduled to argue on Wednesday that it is unable to make a ruling regarding the legality of the occupation, as it did in 2022 when the court issued its opinion.
Arguments will be made by more than 50 states through February 26. On Wednesday, talks were also planned with Egypt and France.
In an attempt to facilitate the creation of a two-state solution, Palestinian representatives requested the judges on Monday to rule that Israel’s possession of their country is unlawful.
Ten states, including South Africa, strongly condemned Israel’s actions in the occupied territories on Tuesday. Many of them called for the court to declare the occupation to be illegal.
The most recent wave of violence in Gaza, which followed Hamas’s strikes on Israel on October 7, has exacerbated the region’s long-standing frustrations and harmed attempts to find a peaceful solution.
Reviewing 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” is the task assigned to the 15-judge panel of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
It is anticipated that the judges will take around half a year to respond to the request, which also asks them to evaluate the occupation’s legal standing and its state-level ramifications.
Israel disregarded a 2004 World Court ruling that Israel’s separation wall in the West Bank ought to be taken down because it broke international law. Rather, it has been prolonged.
Political pressure over Israel’s war in Gaza, which has killed almost 29,000 Palestinians since Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, may intensify as a result of the ongoing hearings, according to Gaza health officials.
During the 1967 battle, Israel took control of the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem, which are parts of historic Palestine that the Palestinians desire to become a state. Although it left Gaza in 2005, it still maintains border control with Egypt, its neighbor.
Leaders in Israel have long denied that the territories are officially occupied, arguing that the 1967 war took them from Jordan and Egypt, not from an independent Palestine.
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