Judge and President of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Nawaf Salam (R) delivers a non-binding ruling on the legal consequences of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague on July 19, 2024. AFP
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s presence in the Palestinian occupied territories is “unlawful” and called on it to end, pointing to the building and expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and east Jerusalem, its annexation and imposition of permanent control over lands and discriminatory policies against Palestinians.
The ICJ was issuing a non-binding opinion on the legality of Israel’s 57-year occupation of lands sought for a Palestinian state, and the ruling is likely to have more effect on international opinion than it will on Israeli policies.
The court’s panel of 15 judges from around the world said Israel has abused its status as the occupying power in the West Bank and east Jerusalem by carrying out policies of annexing territory, imposing permanent control and building settlements. It said Israel must end settlement construction immediately.
It said such acts render “Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territory unlawful.” It says its continued presence was ”illegal” and should be ended as “rapidly as possible.”
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