LONDON (Dispatches) – The UK has come under scrutiny for reportedly attempting to hinder the International Court of Justice (ICJ) from issuing a legal opinion on the Zionist regime’s occupation of Palestine.
The UK’s alleged move came to light through a 43-page legal opinion submitted to the ICJ, which is currently in the fact-finding stage before an expected advisory opinion from the Court on the legal consequences of the “occupation, settlement and annexation” of Palestinian land.
The UK’s objection submitted in the “amicus brief” has been met with dismay as it not only seeks to derail the work of the ICJ, it also goes against the grain of other member states and non-governmental organizations by opposing the hearing of the case entirely.
Critics argue that the UK’s stance ignores the entrenched nature of the Zionist regime’s occupation and the deteriorating situation on the ground. Palestinian diplomats and international humanitarian law experts have expressed dismay at the UK’s submission. The ICJ, based in The Hague, is the top United Nations Court for resolving disputes between nations; its decisions are binding, although it lacks enforcement powers.
“[Assuming that the document is authentic] … this is a rather weak and uninformed document that portrays Israel’s longstanding occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, and its annexation of East Jerusalem (Al-Quds), as a bilateral dispute between two sides,” Dr Victor Kattan, an assistant professor in public international law at the University of Nottingham is reported saying in the Guardian.
The ICJ is expected to deliver its advisory opinion to the UN General Assembly on the legal consequences of the “occupation, settlement and annexation” of Palestinian land in the coming months.
This follows a UNGA resolution in December that requested the ICJ’s opinion on “legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory”.
At that time, the Zionist regime and its Western backers including the US and UK voted against the resolution, claiming that it would push the parties to the conflict away from negotiations.
The Guardian reports Palestinian diplomats as well as international humanitarian law experts as saying the UK position ignores not just the fact that the regime’s occupation is “entrenched”, but that the situation is rapidly deteriorating.
“This is a rather weak and uninformed document that portrays Israel’s longstanding occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, and its annexation of East Jerusalem (Al-Quds), as a bilateral dispute between two states,” said Dr. Victor Kattan, an assistant professor in public international law at the University of Nottingham and an expert on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“The UK submission is a complete endorsement of Israeli talking points. They are not arguing that this is not the right time to go to the ICJ, because the peace process is working. They are saying the Israeli violations Palestinians point out are not as important as negotiation frameworks from decades ago.” A senior Palestinian source told The Guardian unanimously.
Daniel Machover of Hickman & Rose solicitors in London, who has extensive experience in human rights litigation, told the Guardian: “It is a matter of concern that the UK is seeking to block the court from addressing such important matters, something I am sure it would not do were the court asked to address comparable issues … such as Russia’s occupation of Ukrainian territory.”