PNN – The highest judicial body of the United Nations has started hearing hearings about Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands since Monday.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network, the highest judicial authority of the United Nations has started hearings to deal with more than 6 decades of Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands in the midst of the recent Gaza war.
The 6-day hearings at The Hague-based International Court of Justice will last until February 26. Representatives of more than 50 countries and international organizations are expected to present their opinions in these meetings.
Although these meetings are held during the Gaza war, they have nothing to do with it. These meetings are the result of a resolution that was approved by the United Nations Security Council on December 30, 2022, and asked The Hague Court to announce its advisory opinion on the issue of Israeli occupation.
Qatar: Israel’s occupation must end
Qatar’s representative at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, pointing out that Israel’s occupation must end, said: International laws must be applied to everyone, and we reject double standards. The expansion of Israeli settlements began after the occupation of the Palestinian territories in 1967.
The representative of Qatar emphasized that the situation in the West Bank is no less than the situation in the Gaza Strip, and continued: The court is asked to apply international law to everything that happened before October 7. Israel has besieged the residents of the West Bank in an unprecedented way.
The representative of Qatar added: We support all the documented reasons that Israel’s occupation is illegal. Civilian casualties and victims are not random targets, but are (direct) targets of Israeli forces. Israel uses planes and missiles to target Palestinians in the West Bank.
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Pointing out that Israel’s occupation is an illegal colonial system, Qatar’s representative said: This occupation violates the Palestinian nation’s right to self-determination.
Oman: There is no legal justification for Israel’s continued occupation
At the meeting, Oman’s representative emphasized that there is no legal justification for continuing the occupation and denying the right to self-determination of the Palestinians, and said: The forced migration of Palestinians and the transfer of Zionist settlers to the occupied lands are prohibited according to the Geneva Convention. The purpose of settlement construction, annexation of Palestinian lands and displacement of Palestinians is to prolong the occupation. Today, the world is witnessing one of the most heinous crimes against the residents of the Gaza Strip.
Oman’s representative at the International Court of Justice added in this meeting: Palestinians have been living under occupation, oppression and daily humiliation for 75 years. The occupying regime is changing the population structure of the occupied lands. Israel must stop taking actions that violate the Palestinian right to self-determination. There is an international consensus on the right to self-determination of the Palestinian nation. We demand a review of Israel’s violation of the Palestinian nation’s right to self-determination.
Representative of Indonesia: Israel is grossly violating international laws
The Indonesian Foreign Minister also said at the International Court of Justice that he left the meeting of the Group of 20 to personally attend the meeting of this court to deal with the consequences of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands. I stand before you to stand up for justice against the gross violations of international law that Israel is committing.
Emphasizing that Israel’s illegal occupation and the crimes of this regime should not be normalized, Indonesia’s foreign minister said: No country should have the freedom to do anything against weaker countries. This is what international laws are for.
Representative of Norway: Israel’s occupation is an obstacle to lasting peace in the region
Norway’s representative also said at The Hague: Israel’s settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are a major obstacle to any lasting peace in the region. In its advisory opinion in 2004, the International Court of Justice found the construction of a wall inside occupied East Jerusalem and its surroundings to be a violation of international law.
The representative of Norway added: The evaluation of numerous international resolutions indicates that settlements are considered a gross violation of international laws. The developments in the field raise the question whether the occupation of [Palestinian] lands has not become a kind of unofficial policy for the annexation of these lands?