Israel’s settlement policies break international law, International Court of Justice finds
The top United Nations court has ruled that Israel’s settlement policies and use of natural resources in the occupied Palestinian territories violate international law.
The international court of justice said “the transfer by Israel of settlers to the West Bank and Jerusalem as well as Israel’s maintenance of their presence, is contrary to article 49 of the fourth geneva convention”.
The panel of 15 judges from around the world also said the use of natural resources was “inconsistent” with its obligations under international law as an occupying power.
The ICJ president, Nawaf Salam, was reading out the court’s full opinion in a Friday session expected to take about an hour.
Israel has been engaged in a military assault on Gaza since the Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel in October.
In a separate case, the ICJ is considering a South African claim that Israel’s campaign in Gaza amounts to genocide, a claim vehemently denied by Israel.
Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip in 1967 six-day war. The Palestinians seek all three areas for an independent state.
Israel considers the West Bank to be disputed territory, the future of which should be decided in negotiations. It has moved people there in settlements to solidify its hold. It has annexed East Jerusalem in a move that is not recognised internationally, while it withdrew from Gaza in 2005 but maintained a blockade of the territory after Hamas took power in 2007. The international community generally considers all three areas to be occupied territory. [Continue reading…]