ICJ to Rule on Israeli Occupation of Palestine

THE HAGUE – The International Court of Justice (ICJ) announced it will deliver an advisory opinion on July 19 on the legal consequences of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory.

“A public hearing will be held at 3 p.m. at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the seat of the Court, where Judge Nawaf Salam, President of the Court, will deliver the Advisory Opinion,” the ICJ said in a statement on Friday (12/7/2024).

At the open session, Palestinian envoy to the UN Riyad Mansour urged the ICJ to declare Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory illegal, stressing that such a ruling would pave the way for an immediate end to the occupation and the establishment of a “just and lasting peace.”

The session took place in The Hague from February 19 to 26 after the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution in December 2022.

UNGA Resolution 77/247 requested an advisory opinion from the ICJ on the legality of Israel’s policies and practices in the occupied Palestinian territory and the consequences of Israel’s actions for other states and the United Nations.

A total of 52 countries presented arguments at what is also known as the World Court about the legal consequences of Israel’s actions in the region.

Without participating in the hearing, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement rejecting the legitimacy of the hearings, accusing them of seeking to further undermine Israel’s right to survival and self-defense.

Although Israel has dismissed the argument in the past, next week’s ICJ ruling could add political pressure over its nine-month-old war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The UN-affiliated ICJ is the only international court that adjudicates general disputes between states and provides advisory opinions on matters of international law.

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