Palestinians welcomed the United Nations General Assembly vote calling on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to supply an opinion on the authorized repercussions of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.
The Hague-based ICJ, also called the World Court, is the highest U.N. court docket coping with states disputes. Its rulings are binding, although the ICJ can not implement them.
The vote on Friday nonetheless presents a problem for Israel’s incoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who took workplace on Thursday on the head of a hard-right authorities that features events who advocate for occupied West Bank lands to be annexed.
Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem – areas the Palestinians needed for a state – in a 1967 warfare. Peace talks broke down in 2014.
“The time has come for Israel to be a state subject to law and to be held accountable for its ongoing crimes against our people,” Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, mentioned.
Israeli officers haven’t but issued a touch upon the vote. It was condemned by Israel’s U.N. envoy Gilad Erdan earlier than it was held because the Jewish Sabbath started.
Senior Palestinian official Hussein al-Sheikh mentioned on Twitter that the vote “reflects the victory of Palestinian diplomacy.” 87 members had been voted in favor of adopting the request; Israel, the United States and 24 different members voted in opposition to; and 53 abstained.
The Palestinians have restricted rule within the West Bank, and East Jerusalem was annexed by Israel in a transfer not acknowledged internationally. Its settlements in these territories are deemed unlawful by most international locations. A view Israel disputes citing Biblical and historic ties to the land, in addition to safety.
The U.N. General Assembly requested the ICJ to present an advisory opinion on the authorized penalties of Israel’s “occupation, settlement, and annexation … including measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character, and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem, and from its adoption of related discriminatory legislation and measures.”
The new Israeli authorities has pledged to strengthen its settlements within the West Bank, however Netanyahu has not point out of any imminent steps towards annexing them.
