Palestinian leadership urged the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Monday to legally terminate Israel’s 55-year occupation of the Palestinian territories. Calling it “the source of all suffering,” Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki demanded the UN’s top court declare the occupation “illegal” and order it halted “immediately, totally and unconditionally.”
Al-Maliki’s impassioned appeal kicks off a week of hearings where the ICJ will assess the legal status of Israel’s occupation. An unprecedented 52 countries are slated to weigh in – signifying this case’s gravity amid a deteriorating humanitarian crisis in occupied areas.
Decades of “Colonialism and Apartheid” Denounced
Laying out Palestine’s case, Minister Al-Maliki denounced Israel for leaving Palestinians with only “displacement, detention or death” through interminable oppressive policies constituting apartheid and colonialism. He insisted that “double standards” allowing these practices must end, with international laws equally applied to every country.
Citing staggering Palestinian civilian casualties and wanton destruction enduring under Israel’s occupation, Al-Maliki warned that “humanity cannot bear failure” in this “greatest test of the credibility of the international system.” Without accountability and justice, he foresaw only “further tragedy” while Israel entrenches subjugation of Palestinians within its “colonial agenda.”
Legal Counsel Details Flouting of International Law
Andreas Zimmerman – an academic lawyer for Palestine – told the court how Israel continually shirks negotiations to end disputes peacefully as mandated under international law. He contended no compelling reason exists for ICJ to refuse Palestine’s request, especially given the occupation’s escalating human rights violations requiring urgent redress.
Fellow counsel Paul Reichler methodically laid out evidence confirming the illegality of Israel’s enduring occupation and annexation of Palestinian land under international statutes. He explained how the temporary nature of occupation is well-established, yet Israel has long-since violated this constraint through relentless land grabs reducing the Palestinian populace.
No state supports Israel’s violations besides the US, Reichler observed, pointing to written submissions from dozens of countries presented at the hearing. Instead the near consensus demands ending Israel’s severe discrimination constituting apartheid against captive Palestinians while usurping their right to self-rule.
Will ICJ Ruling Bring Relief to Gaza Crisis?
The ICJ opinion comes as Israel’s months-long bombardment has brought Gaza to its knees – destroying infrastructure, displacing three-fourths of residents and pushing 85% into aid dependency. With children facing starvation, deciding the legality of policies underpinning this humanitarian disaster is literally a matter of life or death.
Al-Maliki expressed confidence that establishing firm illegality would accelerate political pressure to unconditionally cease occupation. But with acquiescence so far, will legal opinions compel action? For oppressed Palestinians that glimmer of hope alone perhaps makes this trial worthwhile.