By Stephanie van den BergTHE HAGUE (Reuters) - A record 52 states will present arguments about the legal consequences of Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the U.N.'s highest legal body.
The ICJ's six days of hearings starting on Monday come after the U.N. General Assembly asked the court in 2022 for an advisory, or non-binding, opinion on the occupation.
It is the second time the U.N. General Assembly has asked the ICJ, also known as the World Court, for an advisory opinion related to the occupied Palestinian territory.
“The International Court of Justice is set for the first time to broadly consider the legal consequences of Israel’s nearly six-decades-long occupation and mistreatment of the Palestinian people,” said Clive Baldwin, senior legal adviser at Human Rights Watch.
While Israel has filed a written statement with the court, it has not asked to participate in the hearings.
Persons:
Stephanie van den Berg, Omar Awadallah, Israel’s, ”, Clive Baldwin, Josie Kao
Organizations:
HAGUE, Reuters, International Court of Justice, General Assembly, Palestinian Foreign Ministry, Israel, West, General, West Bank, Court of Justice, Human Rights Watch, Governments, Court, United Nations
Locations:
Palestinian, Israel, Gaza, West Bank, East Jerusalem, Palestine, Egypt, West, Africa, Holy City, Jerusalem, United States, Russia, China, South Africa