Syria stresses the need to hold “Israel” accountable for the crimes and grave violations it has committed in the occupied Arab lands

Head of the Permanent Mission of Syria to the European Union in Brussels Ammar Al-Arsan said in the statement of the Syrian Arab Republic before the International Court of Justice in The Hague: The practices of the occupying power” Israel ” are the clearest reflection of the failure of the international community to prevent the heinous crime of occupation and ensure the implementation of relevant international resolutions.

“Syria stresses the need to hold Israel accountable for its serious and continuous violations of the provisions of international law, the Charter of the United Nations and its relevant resolutions and the provisions of international humanitarian law, including the provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention,”  Al-Arsan explained.

He went on to say: “the right to self-determination is the most important and noble human right, and “Israel” violates this right by establishing settlements in the Occupied Palestinian territories, including Al-Quds (Jerusalem), and continuing to expand them. He stressed that “Israel” must be held accountable for its violations of international law and UN resolutions”.

Al-Arsan said, “Israel” is obliged to immediately cease all violations of its obligations in all occupied Palestinian territories. The cessation of these violations entails the dismantling of settlements and the apartheid wall and compensation for the damage done to the Palestinian people.

He stressed that, “The United Nations should consider the additional measures necessary to end Israel’s occupation immediately and take the necessary measures to ensure the implementation of its relevant resolutions.

Al-Arsan went on to say that “Israel” practiced racial discrimination against Palestinians in Gaza Strip long before the seventh of October, 2023 through its continuous blockade, and its actions are part of a large-scale repressive, organized and systematic entity.

 “The Israeli occupation is absolutely illegal and we should not just talk about its practices and policies, but we must end this occupation of the Arab territories in Palestine and the rest of the occupied Arab territories, including the Syrian Golan, in addition to providing compensation to all those affected,” he added.

“Syria stresses the temporary nature of the occupation and that even if it is a fait accompli, this does not and will not give the occupying power the right to have sovereignty over the Occupied territories, no matter how long this brutal occupation lasts”, Al-Arsan asserted.

He pointed out that “Syria reaffirms that the stability of the Middle East and the credibility of the United Nations system, including the International Court of Justice, require measures to ensure the implementation of all relevant international resolutions to end Israel’s occupation of all Arab territories”.

Al-Arsan clarified that “the Israeli entity has not only committed the horrific acts we have mentioned before the Court, but we are currently witnessing this entity committing genocide in Gaza Strip, attacking Syria and Lebanon and committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Al-Arsan poinrdd out that many decades have passed and the suffering of the Palestinian, Syrian and Lebanese people under Israeli occupation continues, mainly because of the lack of decisive and credible political will to implement the provisions of international law.

Amal Farhat