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He added: “There are those who get angry at these words.” “They should be angry at the reality we are experiencing.”
Members of the large Palestinian team, which included prominent American, British and French lawyers, laid out a wide range of what they said were violations of international law over the past six decades. They said that 139 countries recognized the State of Palestine, yet the continued occupation and annexation of those lands was met with silence and impunity.
“Silence is not an option,” Paul Richler, the US attorney on the team, told the 15-judge panel. He added that the court has the authority to bring about change “by respecting the law, which is all the State of Palestine asks you to do.”
He told the court that the Israeli government's policies were “to an unprecedented extent consistent with the objectives of the Israeli settlement movement to expand its long-term control over the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and practically to further integrate those areas within it.” Israeli territories, according to the Associated Press.
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The court, the UN's highest judicial body, is expected to issue an advisory opinion after the hearings, although it could take weeks to reach an advisory opinion. It will not be legally binding, and Israel has ignored the court's opinions before. But this time, the move comes amid increasing international pressure on Israel to stop the fighting in Gaza, which began after Hamas-led attacks on Israel in October.
The proceedings to be held this week are separate from a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, which Israel denies. Last month, the court ordered Israel to prevent acts of genocide in the region, without ruling on whether genocide occurred.
However, the timing of this week's hearings could serve to cast an uncomfortable spotlight on Israel's policies at a time when questions about Palestinian statehood are at the forefront of international diplomats as negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza continue.
The United Nations General Assembly first asked the court to look into Israel's activities in the Palestinian territories more than two decades ago. In 2004, the Court concluded in a fatwa that the wall Israel was building inside the occupied West Bank violated international law, although Israel ignored this finding.
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Human rights groups view this week's proceedings as a long-overdue opportunity to address questions related to the Israeli occupation, and what they see as discriminatory practices that violate international law and the Palestinians' right to self-determination.
“Governments presenting their arguments to the court should use these historic hearings to highlight the grave violations committed by Israeli authorities against Palestinians,” said Clive Baldwin, senior legal advisor at Human Rights Watch. Persecution and apartheid.
This article originally appeared on New York times.
