Top United Nations Court to Hold Hearings Over Israel's Occupation of Palestinian Territories

The United Nations top court is set to hold hearings on Monday over Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories as tensions run high over Jerusalem's war in the Gaza Strip.

The hearings will last for six days before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and the session on Monday started with Foreign Affairs Minister Riyad al-Maliki speaking as a representative of Palestinians.

Israel's Occupation of Palestinian Territories

The historic hearings come following a request that the UN General Assembly submitted for a non-binding advisory opinion into Israel's policies in the occupied territories.

While the case opens at the UN top court's Great Hall of Justice against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas conflict, its focus is on Jerusalem's open-ended control over the occupied West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and annexed east Jerusalem.

In a statement, the head of the UN organizations department in the Palestinian Foreign Ministry, Omar Awadallah, said that they want to hear new words from the court. After the Palestinians address the court on Monday, 51 nations as well as three international organizations will speak, as per the Associated Press.

A law professor at Hebrew University and senior fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute said that Israel will likely justify the ongoing occupation on security grounds, particularly in the absence of a peace deal.

The Middle Eastern country is expected to point to the Oct. 7, 2023, attack made by the Hamas militant group that killed roughly 1,200 people and resulted in more than 200 people being taken hostage.

On the other hand, Palestinians and leading rights groups argue that the occupation goes far beyond defensive measures. They claim that it has transformed into an apartheid system, which is bolstered by settlement building on occupied lands, that gives Palestinians second-class status.

They said it was also designed to maintain Jewish hegemony from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. The Israeli government rejected all of the accusations of apartheid related to the situation.

UN Top Court Holds Historic Hearings

The judges handling the case are expected to take several months to deliberate on the issue before issuing an advisory opinion. While Israel has ignored such opinions in the past, it could increase political pressure on the Middle Eastern country's ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, according to Reuters.

The countries that are set to participate in the hearings include the United States, which is Israel's strongest supporter, China, Russia, South Africa, and Egypt. The hearings are part of efforts by Palestinians to get international legal institutions to examine Israel's conduct.

Furthermore, they also come amid mounting concerns regarding an Israeli ground offensive against Rafah, a city in Gaza, which is considered to be a last refuge for more than 1 million Palestinians. This is because they have been forced to flee to the south of the enclave to avoid Israeli assaults.

Since 1967, Israeli authorities have illegally occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Between 1967 and 2005, Israel also directly occupied Gaza, and since 2007, it has imposed a land, sea, and air blockade on the coastal enclave.

It is responsible for deciding what food, water, medicines, fuel, construction materials, and other commodities can go into Gaza. Additionally, Israel has the authority to stop their flow whenever it wants, said Aljazeera.