Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu quickly denounced the nonbinding opinion issued Friday by the 15-judge panel of the International Court of Justice.
The top U.N. court said Friday that Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territories is “unlawful” and called on it to end and for settlement construction to stop immediately, issuing an unprecedented, sweeping condemnation of Israel’s rule over the lands it captured 57 years ago.
Israel’s “abuse of its status as the occupying power” renders its “presence in the occupied Palestinian territory unlawful,” the court said, saying its presence must be ended as “rapidly as possible.” Speaking outside the court, Riad Malki, an adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, called the opinion “a watershed moment for Palestine, for justice and for international law.”
The court’s decision strikes at the heart of the ambiguity of Israel’s administration of the territories. Israel hasn't annexed the West Bank — though settler groups have pressed it to do so — but it calls it part of its homeland and has effectively treated it as an extension of the nation. Along with the settlements, it has appropriated large swaths of the territory as “state lands.” At the same time, Netanyahu’s government has repeatedly rejected the creation of any Palestinian state.
He said such a ruling would remove"any kind of legal, political, philosophical underpinning of the Israeli expansion project.” It could also increase the number of countries that recognize a Palestinian state, in particular in the Western world, following the recent example of Spain and Norway and Ireland, he said.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Top UN court says Israeli presence in occupied Palestinian territories is illegalPolitical News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government
Read more »
Israel's Presence In Palestinian Territories Is Illegal, Top UN Court SaysThe U.N.'s top court called Israel's presence in the Palestinian Territories illegal and 'unlawful,' in an advisory opinion released on Friday.
Read more »
Top UN court says Israel’s presence in occupied Palestinian territories is illegal and should endThe court said Israel must end settlement construction immediately and that existing settlements must be removed, according to the 83-page opinion.
Read more »
Top UN court declares Israel's presence in Palestinian territories 'unlawful'The International Court of Justice was issuing a non-binding opinion on the legality of Israel's 57-year occupation of lands sought for a Palestinian state.
Read more »
Palestinian man describes being shot, beaten and tied to an Israeli army jeepVideo appears to show a Palestinian man strapped to the hood of an Israeli military vehicle during a raid on the occupied West Bank town of Jenin. The Israel Defense Forces said the incident violated military policy and “does not conform to the values of the IDF.
Read more »
Palestinian refugee agency sued by Israeli victims of Oct. 7 Hamas attackThe United Nations Palestinian refugee agency was sued on Monday by dozens of Israelis who accused it of aiding and abetting the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
Read more »