International Court of Justice rules Israel should cease its occupation of Palestinian land, remove settlements, pay reparations

ETA: see #3 for the decision.

Note that this legal action started in 2022, before the current conflict.

‘Our people are here to stay:’ World Court hears arguments over Israeli occupation of Palestinian-claimed land​

The International Court of Justice began hearing historic oral arguments Monday over the Israeli occupation of territory claimed by Palestinians, thrusting the decades-old debate before a panel of international judges as the region remains locked in an unprecedented war.

Fifty-two countries will participate in arguments at The Hague over the six-day hearing – more than any other case heard by the court in its history.

The 15 judges on the court will be asked to consider, as the General Assembly wrote, “the legal consequences arising from the ongoing violation by Israel of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, from its prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967.”

All Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law and by much of the international community.

U.S. stands with Israel at U.N. court as Biden-Netanyahu tension simmers​

The United States backed Israel in a hearing Wednesday at the International Court of Justice, once again diverging from allies despite growing tension between President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the Israel-Gaza war.

In a presentation in The Hague, the United States said that an advisory opinion from the U.N.’s top court had the potential to frustrate peace efforts if it did not account for Israel’s needs. “A movement toward Israel’s withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza requires consideration of Israel’s very real security needs,” State Department official Richard Visek told the court.

In earlier presentations, representatives from South Africa and other nations slammed Israel for running an “apartheid state” and called for an end to the occupation of Palestinian territories.

The hearings will continue through Monday with more than two dozen countries yet to speak. The court’s advisory opinion is not expected for months — and may or may not have an impact.

Israel should evacuate settlements, pay reparations, ICJ says​

The International Court of Justice, the top judicial arm of the United Nations, said Friday that Israel should end its occupation of Palestinian territory, evacuate existing settlements, stop building new ones and pay reparations to Palestinians who have lost land and property.

In a sweeping 83-page legal opinion, the court, based in The Hague, said Israel is responsible for “systematic discrimination” against Palestinians based on race or ethnicity, has breached the right of Palestinians to self-determination and has effectively annexed large swaths of land.

The searing advisory opinion is nonbinding but still holds legal weight and could have broader consequences in the international arena, including in trade and diplomacy. The court said member states should not recognize as legal the situation arising from Israel’s presence in occupied territory, nor should they render aid or assistance in maintaining it.

“The Jewish people are not conquerors in their own land,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on X after the announcement.

The ruling Friday was the first time any international court has weighed in on the core issues related to the legality of Israel’s occupation of the territory it seized during the 1967 war with neighboring Arab countries.

“This is as clear and as far-reaching a ruling as I have come across from this court,” said Philippe Sands, an international barrister and member of the Palestinian legal team. He described Friday’s opinion as “hugely significant” and potentially more impactful than the genocide case, as it addresses the “core of Israel’s policy.”

If there is any small win for Israel, it is that the court was ambiguous on whether Israel was responsible for any apartheid, said Borer.
[ICJ president] Salam said Israel was in breach of an article of an international convention on racial discrimination, which says that states should condemn and prevent apartheid and discrimination, but he did not detail how Israel was in breach.

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It remains to be seen how much effect this will have as countries have to decide what, if anything, to do in response. But if nothing else, this moves the situation from "generally regarded as illegal by most of the international community" to "ruled illegal by a decision of the ICJ".

Lukaris said:

Israel must cease to exist. Got it.

Click to expand...

Israel must go back to its pre-1967 borders, relinquishing the land it seized in war.

[if a deal can be made with land swaps, that would also be fair.]