The United States criticized the severity of the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) opinion published on Friday, which ruled that Jewish settlements in the West Bank are illegal and that Israel is effectively annexing the West Bank and East Jerusalem territories. Reuters reported a U.S. State Department spokesperson said that the wording would complicate efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"We have been clear that Israel's program of government support for settlements is both inconsistent with international law and obstructs the cause of peace," he said. "However, we are concerned that the breadth of the court's opinion will complicate efforts to resolve the conflict and bring about an urgently needed just and lasting peace, with two states living side-by-side in peace and security.”
The opinion, determined by the majority of judges on the panel, said Israel's continued presence in the Palestinian territories is illegal and that it must end it as soon as possible. It also ruled Jerusalem’s settlement policy should cease immediately and that Israeli citizens should be evacuated from the areas.
Furthermore, it declared that international organizations, including the United Nations, are obligated not to recognize the situation resulting from Israel's illegal presence in the territories.
In an attempt to curb initiatives to leverage opinion at various levels, Foreign Minister Israel Katz instructed all Israeli embassies worldwide to urgently act alongside their senior diplomatic counterparts.
The Foreign Ministry sent a missive to all ambassadors globally, instructing them to convey a series of messages against the UN top court’s opinion to their counterparts asserting that the ruling is disconnected from reality and will harm the chances of reaching a political settlement with the Palestinians.