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<div class="gmail-inner-article-top"><h1 class="gmail-">ICJ rules Israeli occupation of Palestinian land illegal, orders evacuation of settlements</h1><p class="gmail-">The
landmark case at the World Court requires Israel to cease all new
settlement activities and evacuate all Jewish settlers from the occupied
Palestinian territories</p><div class="gmail-another-name"><p><a href="https://thecradle.co/authors/news-desk-9" style="color:rgb(164,4,4)">News Desk</a></p></div><div class="gmail-another-name" style="margin-top:16px"><p><span>JUL 19, 2024 -<font size="1"> </font></span><font size="1"><a href="https://thecradle.co/articles/icj-rules-israeli-occupation-of-palestinian-land-illegal-orders-evacuation-of-settlements">https://thecradle.co/articles/icj-rules-israeli-occupation-of-palestinian-land-illegal-orders-evacuation-of-settlements</a></font></p></div></div><div class="gmail-inner-article-img"><img src="http://thecradle-main.oss-eu-central-1.aliyuncs.com/public/articles/8624c436-45e7-11ef-ba97-00163e02c055.jpeg" alt="" width="490" height="276" style="margin-right: 0px;"><span>Two
demonstrators wave the Palestinian flag outside the Peace Palace, rear,
housing the International Court of Justice, or World Court, in The
Hague. (Photo credit: AP/Peter Dejong)</span></div><div class="gmail-inner-article-content"><div class="gmail-row"><div class="gmail-col-md-8 gmail-col-sm-7"><div class="gmail-article-content"><span><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">The International Court of Justice (ICJ) </span><a href="https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/186/186-20240719-pre-01-00-en.pdf"><span style="color:rgb(74,110,224)">issued</span></a><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">
its advisory opinion on 19 July ruling that Israel’s occupation and
policies in the occupied Palestinian territories, namely the West Bank,
East Jerusalem, and Gaza, are illegal under interntional law.</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">ICJ President Nawaf Salam </span><a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/icj-opinion-israels-occupation-upends-order-oppresses-palestinians"><span style="color:rgb(74,110,224)">stated</span></a><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">:
“The sustained abuse of Israel of its position as an occupying power
through annexation and an assertion of permanent control over the
occupied Palestinian territory and continued frustration of the right of
the Palestinian people to self-determination violates fundamental
principles of international law and renders Israel’s presence in the
occupied Palestinian territory unlawful.”</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">In
addition to ruling that Israel’s continued presence in the occupied
territories is unlawful, the court stated that Israel is under an
obligation to bring its presence there to an end as soon as possible.</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">The
ruling added that Israel must immediately cease all new settlement
activities and evacuate all settlers from the occupied Palestinian
territories.</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">Further, the State of Israel must make reparation for the damage caused to Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territories.</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">The
court ruled as well that the UN and its member states have an
obligation not to recognize Israel’s occupation as legal and must not
provide Israel assistance in maintaining the occupation.</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">Finally,
the court ruled that the UN, including the General Assembly and the
Security Council, should consider steps to bring Israel’s illegal
occupation of Palestinian territory to an end as soon as possible.</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">In
its ruling, the court affirmed previous UN resolutions stating that it
is illegal under international law to acquire territory by force and
change conquered territory by transferring a foreign population within
its borders for settlement.</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">The
Israeli army conquered and occupied the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and
Gaza in 1967. Since that time, Israel has continued its military rule
over Palestinians while confiscating occupied Palestinian land to build
settlements for Israeli Jews.</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">Israel
argued that its occupation of Palestinian territory was legal because
it was temporary and would be resolved through future negotiations with
the Palestinians while ensuring such negotiations were never completed.</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">At
the same time, Israel has successfully settled over 700,000 Israeli
Jews in the occupied Palestinian territories over the past six decades.
Israel hoped that the presence of such large numbers of settlers would
make it practically impossible to return the stolen territory to
Palestinians, regardless of international law, and instead allow it to
be annexed to Israel in the future.</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">After
the military wing of Hamas, the Qassam Brigades, launched Operation
Al-Aqsa Flood to attack Israeli army bases and settlements surrounding
Gaza in October, the Palestinian issue has again become a priority of
the international community.</span></p><p><span style="color:rgb(14,16,26)">In
December, South Africa brought a separate case against Israel at the
ICJ. The case accuses Israel of breaching the genocide convention
through its attack on Gaza, which has now killed at least 38,000
Palestinians, displaced some 90 percent of its 2.3 million inhabitants,
and destroyed large swathes of the besieged enclave.</span></p></span></div></div></div></div>
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