The International Court of Justice (ICJ) made a landmark opinion on Friday (19 July), calling the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories “unlawful”.
ICJ President Nawaf Salam called for Israel to end its “unlawful presence” in the occupied Palestinian territory “rapidly”.
In addition, the ICJ also ordered Israel to pay reparations to Palestinians for the damages caused by the occupation.
Though not legally binding, the ICJ’s opinion is still significant — it’s the first time the court shared its view on the legality of the Israeli occupation.
Source: United Nations on YouTube
According to BBC, Israel has built settlements housing about 700,000 Jews in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 1967.
As for the Gaza Strip, the ICJ said that Israel still maintains effective control over the region despite its withdrawal in 2005.
All three areas are generally considered “occupied territory” by members of the international community, reports The Associated Press.
The ICJ’s opinion has since garnered polarising responses from Israeli and Palestinian authorities.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the opinion a “decision of lies” claiming that the territories are part of the Jews’ historic homeland.
Palestinian authorities’ reactions to the ICJ’s advisory opinion, however, were completely different.
Hussein Al-Sheikh, secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, called it a “historic victory for the rights of the Palestinian people“.
He also called on the international community to respect the opinion and “force Israel to end its occupation”.
Also read: UN Court of Justice orders Israel to stop military operations in Rafah ‘immediately’
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Featured image adapted from United Nations on YouTube and Amnesty International.
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