International Court of Justice begins hearing broader Palestine case

International Court of Justice begins hearing broader Palestine case

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has begun seven days of hearings on the legality of Israel’s six-decade-long occupation of Gaza and the West Bank.

The proceedings, which are entirely separate from the case brought by South Africa against Israel under the Genocide Convention, come after the UN General Assembly voted in 2022 to request an advisory opinion on the occupation.

More than 50 countries, the African Union, the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation are set to participate in the proceedings.

Agnès Callamard, secretary general of Amnesty International, said: “Israel’s occupation of Palestine is the longest and one of the most deadly military occupations in the world. For decades it has been characterised by widespread and systematic human rights violations against Palestinians.

“The occupation has enabled and entrenched Israel’s system of apartheid imposed on Palestinians. All states must review their relations with Israel to ensure that they are not contributing to sustaining the occupation or the system of apartheid.

“The world must recognise that ending Israel’s illegal occupation is a prerequisite to stopping the recurrent human rights violations in Israel and the Palestinian territories.”

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