The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Palestinian Authority, Riyad Al-Maliki, accuses Israel of pursuing a policy of apartheid. He appeals to the International Court of Justice in The Hague to declare the Israeli occupation illegal.
In a hearing before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding Israel's actions in the occupied Palestinian territories, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki accused the country of “colonialism and apartheid”. “Palestinians endured colonialism and apartheid,” Maliki told the UN Supreme Court in The Hague on Monday.
There are people who are angry with these terms, he said, adding later: “They should be angry with the reality that we are suffering.” unconditionally”. Justice has been denied to the Palestinian people for too long. “It is time to put an end to the double standards that have held our people captive for too long,” Maliki said.
In December 2022 – almost a year before Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 – the UN General Assembly requested a non-binding “expert opinion” from the ICJ on the “legal consequences arising from Israel's policies and practices in the United States” … occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem.”
Hearings into the impact of the occupation since 1967 are now taking place throughout the week in The Hague. Representatives from the US, Russia and China, among others, will appear before the judges. A total of 52 states are expected to provide declarations. An ICJ ruling would not be binding, but could further increase pressure on Israel, given the war in Gaza.
Court ordered Israel to avoid genocide
Last December, South Africa accused Israel of “genocide” at the ICJ over the war in Gaza. In late January, the court ordered Israel to do everything in its military operation in the Gaza Strip to prevent genocide, protect the Palestinian population and enable humanitarian aid. South Africa's renewed urgent appeal against Israel over its imminent military offensive on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip has been rejected.
Israel occupied the Gaza Strip, as well as the West Bank and East Jerusalem after the 1967 war. Around 400,000 Israelis currently live in the West Bank, in settlements that the UN classifies as violating international law. In 2005, Israel completely withdrew from the Gaza Strip. Islamist Hamas emerged victorious in elections held there a year later.
Fighters from the Palestinian militant organization, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the EU and the US and which denies Israel the right to exist, entered Israel on October 7 and committed atrocities in the country, mainly against civilians. According to Israeli information, around 1,160 people were killed and around 250 were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip.
In response to the Hamas attack, Israel set its goal to destroy Hamas. According to Hamas figures, which cannot be independently verified, more than 29,000 people were killed in the massive military operation in the Gaza Strip.
Amnesty International accuses Israel of “one of the deadliest occupations in the world”.
Before hearings began in The Hague on Monday, human rights organization Amnesty International called on Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territories. It is “the longest and one of the deadliest occupations in the world,” said a statement from the human rights organization published on Monday. Over the years, “Israel’s military occupation of the Palestinian territories has evolved into a permanent occupation that clearly violates international law.” “The world must recognize that ending the illegal Israeli occupation is a prerequisite for ending the ongoing human rights violations in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories,” said Amnesty International. (APA/AFP)