UN court to deliver advisory opinion on occupation of Palestinian land

The Hague: The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has said that it will deliver an advisory opinion on July 19 regarding the legal consequences of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories.

A public session will be held on July 19 at the Peace Palace, the seat of the ICJ in The Hague, where Judge Nawaf Salam, president of the court, will present the advisory opinion, said the court in a press statement on Friday.

During the public hearings at the ICJ in February, Palestine, 49 UN member states, and three international organisations presented oral statements, Xinhua news agency reported.

At the hearings, Palestine’s UN envoy Riyad Mansour urged the ICJ to declare Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories illegal, emphasising that such a ruling would pave the way for an immediate end to the occupation and the establishment of a “just and lasting peace”.

Without participating in the hearings, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement rejecting the legitimacy of the hearings, accusing them of attempting to further undermine Israel’s right to survival and self-defence.