International Court of Justice continues its public hearings on the consequences of Israel’s practices in the occupied Palestinian territory

The Hague, (ST) –  The International Court of Justice in The Hague on Wednesday continued its public hearings for the third day on the legal consequences of Israel’s policies and practices in the occupied Palestinian territories, including Al- Quds (Jerusalem).

The representative of Egypt’s legal team affirmed in her briefing before the court that the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories is very dangerous, and it is the longest occupation in history and is based on imposing facts on the ground and must be ended.

She referred that the occupation violates international humanitarian law by changing the features of the Palestinian land at the geographical and demographic levels, through the establishment of settlements, the displacement of Palestinians from their land and residing the Israeli settlers in their place.

The representative of Egypt’s legal team stressed that the occupation deprives the Palestinian people of political self-determination and the exercise of their rights, prevents movement in the Palestinian territories, works to divide and separate these lands from each other, and controls all crossings, which constitutes a war crime. She renewed Egypt’s position on the necessity of ending the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories.

She said: The court’s advisory opinion will be a guide to achieving the establishment of a Palestinian state on the line of June 4, 1967.

She called on the countries of the world to support the Palestinian people and reject the occupation’s aggressive and racist practices and measures against them.

In turn, the representative of Cuba stressed that the Palestinian people are still exposed to attacks by “Israel”, the occupying power in partnership with the United States, which encourages genocide, violates the human rights of the Palestinians, and undermines the possibility of their living and movement in dignity. She pointed out that the prevailing situation in the Palestinian territories cannot continue, adding that this is the responsibility of the countries of the world to stop the genocide against the Palestinian people.

She said: The issue before the court is a clarification of the legal elements related to the use of force to occupy lands, and from here we see that Article 22 of the Charter stipulates respect for the legal principles of peoples and not to deny them, and we must point out that Security Council Resolution No. 242 demands the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territories it occupied in 1967.

She stressed that the occupation and annexation of the Palestinian territories is illegal, and there are resolutions issued by the UN Security Council regarding that, and that such actions in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Syrian Golan are not recognized from an international point of view.

She added: The countries of the world have determined that the Israeli practices and participation in them constitute a violation of international law, stressing that these actions should be stopped, and the colonial practices, to which the Palestinian people are being subjected, cannot be tolerated.

She pointed out that the seizure of lands, the establishment of settlements, the apartheid wall, and the displacement of the Palestinians and the theft of their natural resources are clear violations of international law, and “Israel” aims to get rid of the Palestinian people, who have the right to self-determination.

The representative of Cuba  also pointed out that the Convention on the Protection from genocide guarantees the protection of civilians and criminalizes instigators and international participants in genocide, affirming the need for ceasefire and for the entry of aid to the Strip.

She stressed the need for the Court of Justice to take a strong stance with the aim of stopping the occupation’s violations and crimes of genocide, and to issue a ruling clarifying the illegality of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, strengthening the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, and that it is the responsibility of member states to work to implement the obligations imposed on them under international law.

On the first day of public sessions, the court heard the plea of the State of Palestine, while yesterday, South Africa, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, the Netherlands, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, and Chile presented their briefings before the court in two morning and evening sessions.

The public sessions will continue until February 26 to listen to briefings from 52 countries, in addition to the African Union, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the League of Arab States.

These sessions come in the context of the United Nations General Assembly’s request to obtain an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice on the Israeli colonial occupation of the State of Palestine including Al-Quds (Jerusalem).

Raghda Sawas