Palestine Urges International Courts To Stop Israel's Population

Gaza/DOK WHO via UN

JAKARTA - Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki spoke before the International Court (ICJ) and urged the UN high court to stop Israeli occupation and call it illegal.

"We call on the International Court to declare Israel's occupation illegal and affirm the need to end immediately and unconditionally," Al-Maliki said in a hearing held by the ICJ in The Hague, the Netherlands.

The hearing was held by the ICJ in response to a request by the UN General Assembly for ICJ to provide a legal view (advisory opinion) regarding legal consequences arising from Israeli policies and actions in occupied Palestinian territories, including in East Jerusalem.

"It's time to end double standards and enforce international law in all countries without exception," said al-Maliki, asserting.

He then highlighted the bitter reality faced by Palestinians, whom he said were only given three choices by Israel, namely "refuge, detention, or death".

"Palestinian is still the biggest test for the credibility of the international system under the law, and humanity cannot bear its failure," said al-Maliki.

Israel has been attacking the Gaza Strip since the attack by the Palestinian Hamas group on October 7, 2023.

Israeli attacks have killed nearly 29,000 Palestinians and caused mass destruction as well as a basic necessities crisis, while some 1,200 Israelis are believed to have died in Hamas attacks.

Previously, South Africa brought a genocide case against Israel to the ICJ in late December and asked the ICJ to give an urgent decision to take immediate action to end the bloodshed in the Gaza Strip, where more than 28,600 Palestinians have been killed since October 7 last year. The ICJ then ordered Israel to seek all measures to prevent genocide in Gaza, but failed to urge Tel Aviv to make a ceasefire. Through the interim ruling on January 26, 2024, the Court also ordered Israel to take urgent and effective steps to provide the basic services and humanitarian assistance much needed in the Gaza Strip.