THE HAGUE (Dispatches) -- The International Court of Justice has confirmed it had officially received a request from the United Nations General Assembly to give an advisory opinion on the legal consequences of Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories.
The ICJ is expected to draw up a list of states and organizations that will be able to file written statements, but the press release gave no further information about a timeline for that process. In previous advisory opinions the court also scheduled hearings but it is likely to take at least several months before they can be scheduled.
The Hague-based ICJ, also known as the World Court, is the top UN court dealing with disputes between states. Its rulings are binding, though the ICJ has no power to enforce them.
In a move welcomed by Palestinians, the General Assembly asked the ICJ last month to give an advisory opinion on the legal consequences of the Zionist regime’s “occupation, settlement and annexation ... including measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem (Al-Quds), and from its adoption of related discriminatory legislation and measures.”
The UN resolution also asks the ICJ to advise on how those policies and practices “affect the legal status of the occupation” and what legal consequences arise for all countries and the United Nations from this status.
The resolution — promoted by the Palestinians and passed by a vote of 87 in favor, 26 against, with 53 abstentions — demanded the court weigh in on the conflict in accordance with international law and the UN charter. The vote came a month after the UN’s Fourth Committee passed a similar resolution, setting the stage for the General Assembly process.
The ICJ last weighed in on the conflict between the occupying regime of Israel and the Palestinians in 2004, when it ruled that an Israeli separation war was illegal. In the same ruling the ICJ judges said that Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian territory “have been established in breach of international law”.
The occupying regime of Israel has ignored the decision, claiming that the barrier was a security measure meant to prevent Palestinian attackers from reaching Zionist cities. The Palestinians have said the structure was an Israeli land grab because of its route through East Al-Quds and parts of the West Bank.