THE top United Nations court has said Israel’s presence in the Palestinian occupied territories is “unlawful” and called on it to end.
The International Court of Justice said in its non-binding opinion issued on Friday that Israel has abused its status as the occupying power in the West Bank and east Jerusalem by carrying out policies of annexing territory, imposing permanent control and building settlements.
It said such acts render “Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territory unlawful”, adding that its continued presence was ”illegal” and should be ended as “rapidly as possible”.
In the opinion read out by court president Nawaf Salam, the court found that “the transfer by Israel of settlers to the West Bank and Jerusalem as well as Israel’s maintenance of their presence, is contrary to article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention”.
READ MORE: Top UN official demands Israel be 'unseated' from organisation
The court also noted with “grave concern” that Israel’s settlement policy has been expanding.
The court also found that Israel’s use of natural resources was “inconsistent” with its obligations under international law as an occupying power.
The ruling is likely to have more effect on international opinion than it will on Israeli policies.
Israel, which normally considers the United Nations and international tribunals as unfair and biased, did not send a legal team to the hearings.
But it submitted written comments, saying that the questions put to the court are prejudiced and fail to address Israeli security concerns.
Israeli officials have said the court’s intervention could undermine the peace process, which has been stagnant for more than a decade.
The ruling comes after the UN's special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, said it was "time to unseat Israel from the UN".
Albanese's comments came after the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza were destroyed by Israeli bombs.
The commissioner general of UNRWA described the attack as "another episode in the blatant disregard of international humanitarian law."
Meanwhile, the UK Government has said it will resume funding to UNWRA following allegations from Israel that its staff were involved in the October 7 attack perpetrated by Hamas.
Former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna undertook an independent review into the allegations but said she was given no evidence by Israel to back up their claims.
The USA is now the only country yet to resume funding to UNRWA.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel