What is going on in the latest round of hearings on Israel’s crimes at the Hague Court?

According to the report of Tasnim International News Group, the highest judicial authority of the United Nations has started hearings to deal with more than 6 decades of Israeli occupation in Palestinian lands in the midst of the recent Gaza war.

6-day hearings at the International Court of Justice based in The Hague will last until February 26. Representatives of more than 50 countries and international organizations are expected to present their opinions in these meetings.

Although these meetings are held during the Gaza war, they have nothing to do with it. These meetings are the result of a resolution that was approved by the United Nations Security Council on December 30, 2022, and asked The Hague Court to announce its advisory opinion regarding the issue of Israeli occupation.

Qatar: Israel’s occupation must end

Qatar’s representative at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, pointing out that Israel’s occupation must end, said: “International laws must be applied to all and we reject double standards. The expansion of Israeli settlements began after the occupation of the Palestinian territories in 1967.

The representative of Qatar emphasized that the situation in the West Bank is no less than the situation in the Gaza Strip, and continued: apply international law to everything that happened before October 7. Israel has besieged the residents of the West Bank in an unprecedented way.

The representative of Qatar added: We support all the documented reasons that Israel’s occupation is illegal. Civilian casualties and victims are not random targets, but are (direct) targets of Israeli forces. Israel uses planes and missiles to target Palestinians in the West Bank. Qatar’s representative pointed out that Israel’s occupation is an illegal colonial system and said: This occupation violates the right to self-determination of the Palestinian nation. Oman: There is no legal justification for Israel’s occupation There is no law for continuing the occupation and denying the right to self-determination of the Palestinians, he said: the forced migration of Palestinians and the transfer of Zionist settlers to the occupied lands are prohibited according to the Geneva Convention. The purpose of settlement construction, annexation of Palestinian lands and displacement of Palestinians is to prolong the occupation. Today, the world is witnessing one of the most heinous crimes against the residents of the Gaza Strip.

Oman’s representative at the International Court of Justice added in this meeting: Palestinians have been living under occupation, oppression and daily humiliation for 75 years. The occupying regime is changing the population structure of the occupied lands. Israel must stop taking actions that violate the Palestinian right to self-determination. There is an international consensus on the right to self-determination of the Palestinian nation. We demand a review of Israel’s violation of the Palestinian nation’s right to self-determination.

Representative of Indonesia: Israel is grossly violating international laws

Indonesian Foreign Minister also said at the International Court of Justice that he left the meeting of the Group of 20 to personally participate in the meeting of this court to deal with the consequences of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands. I stand before you to stand up for justice against the gross violations of international law that Israel is committing.

Indonesian Foreign Minister stressed that Israel’s illegal occupation and the crimes of this regime should not be normalized, saying: No country should have the freedom to do anything against weaker countries. This is what international laws are for.

Norwegian representative: Israel’s occupation is an obstacle to lasting peace in the region In the West Bank and East Jerusalem, it is a major obstacle to any lasting peace in the region. In its advisory opinion in 2004, the International Court of Justice found the construction of a wall inside occupied East Jerusalem and its surroundings to be a violation of international law.

Norway’s representative added: The evaluation of numerous international resolutions indicates that the settlements are a gross violation of international laws. The developments in the field raise the question whether the occupation of [Palestinian] lands has not become a kind of unofficial policy for the annexation of these lands?

end of message/