ICJ: Israel obligated to end âunlawfulâ presence in oPT as ârapidly as possibleâ
In a new advisory opinion, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) â also known as the World Court â ruled today that Israel's âcontinued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful,â and that it is âunder obligationâ to:
âend its unlawful presence... as rapidly as possibleâ
âcease immediately all new settlement activitiesâ
âevacuate all settlersâ from the oPT
âmake reparation for the damage caused...â
They further stated that âall statesâ are obligated ânot to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created byâ the Israeli occupation, nor to recognize it âas legal.â
The UNââespecially the General Assembly, which requested the opinion, and the Security Councilââshould âconsider the precise modalities and further action required to bring to an end as rapidly as possibleâ Israel's âunlawful presence,â they wrote.
More details can be found in the ICJâs press release, as well as their 32-page summary of the advisory opinionâor you can just read the full text.
âThe advisory opinion, while non-binding, [is] the first time the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has expressed its view on the legality of Israelâs presence in territories it captured in the 1967 war,â writes CNN.
âAn advisory opinion is not legally binding but carries moral authority and can shape international law, according to the ICJ.â
"This is an historic decision, codifying what has long been known in the international legal community, but giving further support to the struggle for Palestinian liberation and providing another stepping stone in the path toward ending apartheid, colonialism and genocide in Palestine," said international human rights lawyer Craig Mokhiber a viral thread on X.
In a press statement, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates called the advisory opinion "a watershed moment for Palestine and the international law-based order."
âThe ICJ fulfilled its legal and moral duties with this historic ruling. Palestine will work with all law-abiding states and partners to uphold their clear obligations... No aid. No assistance. No complicity. No money, no arms, and no trade with the Israeli occupation."
Others are, understandably, less optimistic:
For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Netanayhu has already posted a defiant statement on X:
âThe Jewish people are not occupiers in their own land, including in our eternal capital Jerusalem nor in Judea and Samaria, our historical homeland. No absurd opinion in the Hague can deny this historical truth or the legal right of Israelis to live in their own communities in our ancestoral home.â
Israel's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Israel Katz, called the ruling "fundamentally warped, one-sided, and wrong," and said that it "plays into the hands of the extremists."
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