ICJ: Israeli Presence, Settlements in Occupied Palestine ‘Unlawful’
The UN’s highest court, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), has issued a ruling on Israel’s presence in occupied Palestinian territories, saying it is unlawful and must come to an end as rapidly as possible.
The non-binding ruling comes amid an open-ended war in the Gaza Strip and growing calls from ministers in the Israeli government to expand control over the West Bank into a full-scale annexation. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Israel should prepare to make the move in response to the ICJ ruling, arguing it was necessary to “thwart” any Palestinian state.
The status quo, arguably, already precludes the creation of a Palestinian state, with settlements positioned to prevent any contiguous territory from being available for an independent Palestine.
