The International Court of Justice hears arguments regarding the Israeli occupation of lands claimed by the Palestinians

CNN
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The International Court of Justice began hearing historic oral arguments Monday on Israel's occupation of territories claimed by the Palestinians, significantly pushing forward the decades-long debate before a panel of international judges. The region is still stuck in an unprecedented war.

Fifty-two countries are scheduled to participate in arguments in The Hague during the six-day hearing – more than any other case heard by the court in its history.

The case goes back to A 2022 Request for an advisory opinion from the United Nations General Assembly. The court's 15 justices, the General Assembly wrote, will be asked to consider “the legal consequences arising from Israel's continued violation of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, and from its prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation of its lands.” The Palestinian territories occupied since 1967.

The court, which was established after World War II as a way for countries to resolve disputes without conflict, is likely to take months to issue a ruling. The opinion of the International Court of Justice will be advisory and not binding.

Monday's case is separate from proceedings held in January Accusation from South Africa That Israel is committing genocide in its war against Hamas in the wake of the October 7 attacks.

That case saw an overwhelming majority of the court Order Israel to prevent genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza, while stopping short of calling on Israel to suspend its military campaign, as requested by South Africa. At the time, Israel had already indicated that it would not accept the ICJ ruling, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office writing on an

Monday's issue involving the West Bank began with statements from Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki.

Al-Maliki said: “Successive Israeli governments have given the Palestinian people only three options: displacement, oppression, or death.” But our people are here to stay, and they have the right to live in freedom and dignity in the land of their ancestors. They will not give up their rights.”

Al-Maliki called for an end to “double standards in dealing with the Palestinian issue,” and called on the International Court of Justice to recognize the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.

He said on Monday that “the right to self-determination has no statute of limitations and is not negotiable, and the Israeli occupation must end without conditions.” It is time to put an end to the double standards that have kept our people captive for too long. International law must apply to all states.

Al-Maliki added: “This court must declare that the Israeli occupation is illegal, and must end it completely and unconditionally.”

But Lior Hayat, spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, criticized the Palestinian Authority for what he called “distorting reality and avoiding direct negotiations” by seeking a unilateral legal ruling from the International Court of Justice.

“By making false accusations and fundamentally creating a distorted reality, the Palestinian Authority is trying to turn a conflict that should be resolved through direct negotiations and without any external imposition into a one-sided and unsound legal process aimed at adopting an extremist and distorted narrative,” Hayat said.

Hayat condemned the Palestinian leadership for allegedly ignoring acts of terrorism, incitement to anti-Semitism, and distorting the legal framework of the conflict, and urged a return to direct negotiations to resolve the conflict.

Echoing Hayat's sentiments, the Israeli Prime Minister's Office rejected the legitimacy of the International Court of Justice to debate the “legitimacy of occupation,” viewing it as an attack on Israel's right to defend itself against existential threats. The office stressed in a written statement its determination to confront what it considers to be an attempt by the Palestinians to bypass the negotiations.

“Israel does not recognize the legitimacy of the debate at the International Court of Justice in The Hague on the ‘legitimacy of occupation’ – a move aimed at harming Israel’s right to defend itself against existential threats,” the statement read.

Representatives of the various countries involved in the case will present their comments starting Tuesday. Israel is not scheduled to speak but submitted a written note.

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Israel occupied the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip The Six-Day War of 1967. It later unilaterally annexed East Jerusalem and withdrew its forces and settlers from Gaza, although it imposed its control over the Strip for years through an almost total blockade.

Under the Oslo Peace Accords, the West Bank was divided into three distinct areas with control divided between the sites by Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Today, Israel has full administrative and security control over 60% of the West Bank, while the Palestinian Authority has nominal control over Palestinian population centers.

The number of Israeli settlers is estimated at about 700 thousand Living illegally in the West Bank.

All Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law and by much of the international community. Israel rejects this, and distinguishes between the settlements it allowed and those it did not allow.