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Israel
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UN top court to start historic case on legality of Israeli occupation of lands claimed by Palestinians

  • The International Court of Justice will focus on Israel’s open-ended occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem
  • An unprecedented number of countries will participate in the hearings amid the ongoing Israel-Gaza war

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Israeli security forces remove Palestinian Muslim worshippers sitting on the grounds of the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem on April 5, 2023 during Islam’s holy month of Ramadan. Photo: AFP
Associated Press
The United Nations’ highest court will open historic hearings on Monday into the legality of Israel’s 57-year occupation of lands sought for a Palestinian state, plunging the 15 international judges back into the heart of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
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Six days of hearings are scheduled at the International Court of Justice, during which an unprecedented number of countries will participate, as Israel continues its devastating assault on Gaza.

Though the case occurs against the backdrop of the Israel-Gaza war, it focuses instead on Israel’s open-ended occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem.

Palestinian representatives, who speak first on Monday, will argue that the Israeli occupation is illegal because it has violated three key tenets of international law, the Palestinian legal team told reporters on Wednesday.

They say that Israel has violated the prohibition on territorial conquest by annexing large swathes of occupied land, has violated the Palestinians’ right to self-determination, and has imposed a system of racial discrimination and apartheid.

“We want to hear new words from the court,” said Omar Awadallah, the head of the UN organisations department in the Palestinian Foreign Ministry.

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