The judges in The Hague clearly take a stance on settlement construction and occupation. Israel will ignore their opinion, but it will have to live with certain consequences.
The Hague/Tel Aviv/Ramallah – A legal opinion from the highest UN court presents additional problems for the state of Israel, which is involved in military conflicts on several fronts, with unpredictable consequences. The occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal and must be ended as quickly as possible, stated the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres plans to immediately forward the opinion to the UN General Assembly, which must then decide on the next steps, said one of his spokespersons in New York.
Israel captured and occupied the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem during the Six-Day War in 1967. The Palestinians claim these territories for their own state, which should exist alongside Israel, and which most countries in the world, including Germany, still support today. In 2005, Israel left Gaza but continues to control its land, sea, and air borders.
Opinion: Israel must end occupation as soon as possible
“Israel’s ongoing presence in the occupied Palestinian territories is unlawful,” said court president Nawaf Salam. “The State of Israel is obligated to end its unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territories as quickly as possible,” states a summary of the legally non-binding legal opinion published by the court on Friday.
Furthermore, Israel is required to immediately stop new settlement activities in the Palestinian territories and to remove around 700,000 settlers from the areas. The nations of the world should not support actions that contribute to maintaining Israel’s “illegal presence” in the occupied territories or support settlement activities.
Netanyahu calls it a “mistake,” Abbas sees it as a “triumph of justice”
Israel reacted angrily to the opinion: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on X: “The Jewish people are not occupiers in their own land. No mistake in The Hague will distort the historical truth, just as the legitimacy of the Israeli settlements across the entirety of our homeland cannot be challenged.”
On the other hand, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the opinion. It was “a triumph of justice, a confirmation that the Israeli occupation is illegal.” Abbas calls on the international community to “force the occupying power, Israel, to fully and immediately end its occupation and colonial project, without conditions or exceptions.” This was announced by the presidency office in Ramallah. The Islamist Hamas in Gaza praised the document for “exposing the fascist system of settlement construction.”
De facto annexation of further areas executed
The opinion points out that Israel has carried out a de facto annexation of further areas through settlement construction and various administrative acts. It also addresses the discriminatory and degrading consequences of the occupation for the Palestinian population. Violence by settlers against Palestinian citizens is not pursued or punished by Israel. Palestinians are forced to leave land they cultivate. Additionally, they are denied access to water.
The numerous restrictions on the civil rights of Palestinians in the occupied territories, in their unequal treatment compared to Jewish settlers, are seen in the document as violations of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and against the International Convention on Racism.
Opinion could have significant repercussions.
Although it is not legally binding, the legal opinion could have significant repercussions. International pressure on Israel is expected to further increase to end the attacks in Gaza. The opinion is also likely to fuel the pro-Palestinian protest movement worldwide.
The legally non-binding opinions of the ICJ are perceived as “extremely valid representations of international law, as it is,” said law professor Eliav Leiblich of Tel Aviv University to the US television channel CNN. Civil organizations could bring the matter before national courts and demand that these prohibit the export of weapons that could be used in the occupied territories.
Drone attack out of nowhere
Meanwhile, in Israel, there is shock that a combat drone launched by the Houthi militias in Yemen managed to reach the coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv undetected. The explosive-laden projectile exploded near the densely populated Mediterranean coastline in the night from Thursday to Friday, killing a 50-year-old man in his apartment. Ten other people were injured, as reported by rescue services. The Houthi militia in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attack.
The projectile struck near the Tel Aviv branch of the US embassy. The US embassy has been located in Jerusalem since 2018. The Israeli military assumes that the Tel Aviv embassy building was not specifically targeted but rather that the drone flew over it by chance.
Army spokesperson Daniel Hagari stated that the flying weapon was a drone of the Iranian type Samad-3 that had been modified for long distances. According to Israeli assessments, it flew about 2000 kilometers, crossing the Sinai Peninsula from the Red Sea and veering over the Mediterranean towards Tel Aviv.
Residents in the city heard a loud bang shortly after 3:00 AM (local time) and shortly after that the sirens of emergency vehicles. The usual air raid alarm had not sounded. The army spoke of human error. Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, reportedly called on the UN Security Council to condemn the Houthi attack and to take measures before another escalation in the region occurs.
The Iranian-backed and armed Houthis have been repeatedly attacking maritime traffic in the Red Sea since the outbreak of the Gaza war last October. They have also occasionally fired rockets at southern Israel, which have so far been intercepted or landed in uninhabited areas.
Exchange of fire in the north
The Shiite militia Hezbollah intensified its shelling of areas in northern Israel. The military identified 65 projectiles that entered Israeli territory from Lebanon, the army reported on its Telegram channel. Some of the projectiles were intercepted by the Israeli air defense, while the rest landed in uninhabited areas. No persons were reported injured or killed. In response, the army attacked the launch ramps and weapon depots of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah confirmed its attacks, labeling them as retaliation for Israeli bombardments the day before that had killed two high-ranking fighters in the eastern Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon – one Hezbollah member and a cadre of the Palestinian Hamas, which is allied with Hezbollah.
Since the beginning of the Gaza war, Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia have been engaged in daily skirmishes. There have been casualties on both sides. Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, claims to act in solidarity with Hamas, which is also active in Lebanon. There are long-standing fears that the conflict could expand regionally.