Jerusalem, February 19 (EFE). – The organization Amnesty International (AI) demanded this Monday, on the occasion of the start of the hearings of the International Court of Justice, that Israel should end the occupation of the Palestinian territories “in order not to further fuel apartheid”. ICJ) about the consequences of this Israeli policy.
“Israel must end its brutal occupation of Palestine to stop fueling apartheid and systematic human rights violations,” AI said in a statement today.
The International Court of Justice in The Hague, the United Nations' highest court, begins public hearings today to examine the legal consequences of Israel's ongoing occupation of the Palestinian territories, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since 1967.
“Israel’s occupation of Palestine is the longest military occupation and one of the deadliest in the world. For decades, it has been marked by the widespread and systematic practice of serious human rights violations against the Palestinian people,” said the Secretary General of Amnesty International. Agnes Callamard.
“The occupation also enabled and entrenched the system of apartheid that Israel imposes on all Palestinians. “Over time, the Israeli military occupation has turned into a permanent occupation that blatantly violates international law,” he added.
The public hearings will take place from February 19 to 26 in The Hague, after the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution in December 2022 to request an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice on the legality of Israel's policies and practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). to request. and its consequences for the international community.
More than 50 states, the African Union, the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation are expected to take part in the process.
Amnesty also referred to the current war in the Gaza Strip, which has caused almost 29,000 deaths in more than four months, where the ICJ had already stated a few weeks ago, at the request of South Africa, that “there is a real and imminent danger”. of genocide”.
The Gaza Strip, which has been under blockade for 16 years, remains occupied even after the withdrawal of Israeli forces and the resettlement of the settler population in 2005, as long as Israel maintains effective control over the territory and its population, which includes the population under control of borders, territorial waters, airspace and civil registration, denounced Amnesty.
“All states must reconsider their relations with Israel to ensure that they do not contribute to the maintenance of the occupation or the apartheid system,” Callamard said. EFE
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