In an advisory opinion issued on Friday, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) rendered judgment, deeming Israel’s prolonged occupation of Palestinian territories as illegitimate under international law.
President Nawaf Salam, presiding over the court, underscored that ‘Israel’ is obligated to swiftly terminate this unlawful occupation and further stipulated that reparations must be extended to Palestinians for the hardships endured during this period.
Additionally, President Salam emphasized the imperative for the United Nations Security Council, the General Assembly, and all nations to abstain from legitimizing Israel’s occupation through recognition, thereby affirming their collective responsibility in upholding international legal standards.
“The sustained abuse of Israel of its position as an occupying power through annexation and an assertion of permanent control over the occupied Palestinian territory and continued frustration of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination violates fundamental principles of international law and renders Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territory unlawful,” he said.
The ICJ’s decision comes in response to a request made by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2022, seeking the court’s opinion on Israel’s policies and actions against the Palestinian population, as well as on the legal standing of the decades-long occupation of Palestinian territories spanning 57 years.
President Nawaf Salam highlighted various aspects of the ICJ’s findings, including the determination that Israel’s transfer of settlers into occupied territories contravenes provisions laid out in the Geneva Convention.
Additionally, President Salam underscored that Israel’s exploitation of natural resources within these occupied lands runs counter to the Palestinians’ entitlement to sovereignty over their natural assets.
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