ICJ opinion on legality of Israel's rule over West Bank
(Photo: UN WEB TV)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday that the opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) which finds Israel in violation of international law in its occupation and policies in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, is a perversion of historical facts.
""The Jewish people are not occupiers in their own land, including in our eternal capital Jerusalem," Netanyahu said in a post. "Nor in Judea and Samaria, our historical homeland. No absurd opinion in The Hague can deny this historical truth or the legal right of Israelis to live in their own communities in our ancestral home."
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ICJ says Israel violates international law, must leave West Bank
(Photo: Lina Selg / EPA)
Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the ICJ's opinion was foundationally wrong. It ignored the past - the historic right of the Jewish people, and is detached from the present - the threat to Israel's security and the duty to protect its citizens and territory.
Israel's designated ambassador to the UN Danny Danon, who already served in the post said the ICJ was attempting to deny Israel its right to its ancestral land. "The opinion is unfortunate but expected," he said. "The court has long since become a political circus and is today a stronghold of Hamas supporters. Israel will never give up its historic right to its land."
The ICJ said the decision on how to end Israel's "illegal occupation" is up to the UNGA and the Security Council. They must decide on the steps that must be taken and there is an urgent need for the UN to "double its efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and bring a just peace to the region.
The opinion of the ICJ was formulated following the request of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in December 2022. The court held sessions to deliberate the legality of Israel's occupation of the territories including East Jerusalem, in February this year. Some 60 member states and three international organizations presented the court with verbal declarations regarding their positions.
Among the countries were South Africa, Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands, Cuba, Egypt, UAE, U.S., Russia, France, China, Japan, Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia, Qatar, UK, Sudan, Switzerland, Spain and Hungary. Israel boycotted the proceedings and did not appear before the court claiming it was a political use of the court.
A concern for Israel is that the UNGA would refer the opinion of the ICJ to the International Criminal Court under its chief prosecutor Kharim Khan, who has already said he was seeking arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Khan may then decide to prosecute others in Israel for the crime of settlements.