To no one’s surprise, the International Court of Justice in The Hague (ICJ) ruled on Friday that Israel’s policies in our ancient homelands of Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem are illegal and against international law. Furthermore, the ICJ said Israel is illegally exploiting the natural resources of the region. The ruling is non-binding – not legally, and not morally.
The ruling, read by Lebanese Judge Nawaf Salam, president of the court, said Israel was obligated to bring an end to its “illegal occupation,” “evacuate settlers,” and make reparations to the Palestinian people. The ruling also called on the UN Security Council and General Assembly to consider “further measures,” and for international organizations not to “recognize or aid” Israeli activities in Judea and Samaria.
Israel is “obliged to bring an end to its presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as rapidly as possible,” the court added. Julia Sebutinde, of Uganda, the court’s vice-president, was the only one to dissent on all of the counts, which passed either 14-1, 14-3, 12-3 or 11-4.
The case was referred to the ICJ by the United Nations General Assembly in 2022 when it formally requested an advisory opinion.
Israeli responses were fast and furious in denouncing the ruling.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pointed out a basic truth:
“The Jewish people are not occupiers in their own land, including in our eternal capital Jerusalem nor in Judea and Samaria, our historical homeland. No absurd opinion in the Hague can deny this historical truth or the legal right of Israelis to live in their own communities in our ancestoral home.”
The Jewish people are not occupiers in their own land, including in our eternal capital Jerusalem nor in Judea and Samaria, our historical homeland. No absurd opinion in the Hague can deny this historical truth or the legal right of Israelis to live in their own communities in…
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) July 19, 2024
Finance Minister Bezelel Smotrich called for immediately applying Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria. His entire party tweeted the same statement.
Internal Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said [translated]
“The decision of the International Court of Justice in The Hague proves for the umpteenth time – this is a definite anti-Semitic and political organization. We will not receive moral preaching from them, it is time for governance and sovereignty. And as we learned in this week’s parshah [Balak], ‘They are a people alone that will dwell and the Gentiles will not be considered.'”
The head of the Binyamin Regional Council and chairman of the Yesha Council, Israel Gantz, in response to the opinion of the court in The Hague:
“We call on the prime minister to immediately begin applying sovereignty to Judea and Samaria.”
Ganz added: “The opinion of the International Court of Justice deserves condemnation and denunciation from all countries around the world.
This is a decision contrary to justice, contrary to the Bible, morality and international law. This decision is intended to bring Hamas terrorists closer to the beds of our children and women in the center of the country and to eliminate the State of Israel.
Only a hypocritical panel of judges, headed by a Lebanese judge – a country in conflict with Israel, can show such legal and historical blindness.
The Western Wall, the Cave of the Patriarchs, Jerusalem and all of Judea, Samaria, Binyamin, and the Jordan Valley are the land of our ancestors. No opinion will erase the historical truth or undermine the deep connection between the people of Israel and its country.
The necessary answer is the imposition of sanctions against the PA and its leaders who initiated the judgement, as well as the application of Israeli sovereignty. We call on the prime minister to immediately begin applying sovereignty to Judea and Samaria.”
International law expert Professor Eugene Kontorovich weighed in on the meaningless decision by the court. He pointed out, among many important points, that “the ICJ is just the judicial arm of the UN – an organization that runs several Hamas front organizations, and whose SG said of Oct 7th, that it didn’t happen without a context.”
This ICJ’s opinion is not legally binding (its advisory), nor is it morally binding, coming from the U.N., which in Gaza has merged with Hamas and lost all credibility since Oct. 7th. (2/8)
— Eugene Kontorovich (@EVKontorovich) July 19, 2024
One Israeli pointed out that the ICJ clearly never heard of indigenous decolonization.
Content by TPS and JNS was used in this report.
