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ICJ Rules: Israel Must Withdraw from Occupied Territories

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ICJ Rules: Israel Must Withdraw from Occupied Territories
Image source: Defi Media

The International Court of Justice has ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories since 1967 is “illegal” and must cease “as soon as possible.” The judgment, delivered on Friday, July 19, by the highest judicial body of the United Nations, marking a significant victory for the Palestinian cause.

The court’s advisory opinion, which was published in French, established that Israel’s presence in the occupied territories of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza is “illegitimate” and that Israel is under an obligation to bring it to an end “as soon as possible.”

Lindsey Collen, a member of the Lalit movement, hailed the judgment as “historic” and “crushing” for Israel.

She emphasized that the verdict condemned Israel for its 57-year occupation of lands that do not belong to it, and for an occupation that is equivalent to the annexation of territory in violation of international law.

Cassam Uteem, former President of the Republic, reacted by stating that Israel must withdraw from occupied territories to free Palestine.

While he was not surprised by Israel’s immediate response contesting the judgment, he believed that international pressure will continue to mount against Israel, making it increasingly isolated from other nations.

Uteem expressed hope that countries that have supported Israel, such as the United States, will accept the ICJ’s verdict.

He stressed that all countries must help and ensure that Israel ceases its illegal actions.

According to Cassam Uteem and Lindsey Collen, Israel must now return the occupied territories and pay compensation for damages caused in Palestine.

The ICJ’s President, Nawaf Salam, stated in a public statement that “the persistent presence of Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories is contrary to law.”

The court’s advisory opinion concluded that Israel’s continued presence in the occupied territory is illegal and that Israel is under an obligation to bring it to an end “as soon as possible.”

Over 50 states testified in this unprecedented case. The ICJ’s judgment is not binding, but it may increase the growing international legal pressure on Israel in relation to the war in Gaza.

On December 31, 2022, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution requesting an advisory opinion from the ICJ on the “consequences of Israeli policies and practices in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem.

” This concerns “the prolonged occupation” of Palestinian territories since 1967.

It was during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war that Israel seized control of the West Bank (including East Jerusalem), which was then annexed by Jordan, as well as Gaza, then under Egyptian military administration.

Israel has since occupied over 70,000 square kilometers of Arab land seized during the war, an occupation later deemed illegal by the United Nations.

Source: Defi Media

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