ICJ says Israel’s settlement policies breached international law
The international court of justice said that Israel’s settlement policies and exploitation of natural resources in the Palestinian territories were in breach of international law.
Key events
Here is some background about the occupied territories and wider context of the case from our full report:
Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip in 1967 during the 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.
At hearings in February, the then Palestinian foreign minister, Riad Malki, accused Israel of apartheid and urged the ICJ to declare that Israel’s occupation of lands sought by the Palestinians is illegal and must end immediately and unconditionally for any hope of a two-state future to survive.
Israel, which normally considers the UN and international tribunals as unfair and biased, did not send a legal team to the hearings. It submitted written comments, saying that the questions put to the court were prejudiced and “fail to recognise Israel’s right and duty to protect its citizens”, address Israeli security concerns or acknowledge Israel-Palestinian agreements to negotiate issues, including “the permanent status of the territory, security arrangements, settlements, and borders”.
The Palestinians presented arguments in February along with 49 other nations and three international organisations.
The UN general assembly voted by a wide margin in December 2022 to ask the ICJ for the advisory opinion. Israel vehemently opposed the request which was promoted by the Palestinians. Fifty countries abstained from voting.
Israel has built well over 100 settlements, according to the anti-settlement monitoring group Peace Now. The West Bank settler population has grown by more than 15% in the past five years to more than 500,000 Israelis, according to a pro-settler group.
Israel also considers the entire city of Jerusalem to be its capital, including occupied East Jerusalem. 200,000 Israelis live in settlements built in East Jerusalem that Israel considers to be neighbourhoods of its capital. Palestinian residents of the city face systemic discrimination, making it difficult for them to build new homes or expand existing ones.
The international community considers all settlements to be illegal or obstacles to peace since they are built on lands sought by the Palestinians for their state.
The international court of justice said that states have an obligation to not recognise Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and to distinguish between the two.
ICJ rules continued presence of Israel in the Palestinian territories illegal and calls for reparations
The international court of justice has ruled, in a legally non binding decision, that the continued presence of Israel in the Palestinian territories is illegal and that all new settlement activity must cease.
The court also finds Israel must make reparations for damages caused by occupation of Palestinian territories and has an obligation to end its presence there.
ICJ finds Israel systematically discriminates against Palestinians
The international court of justice finds that Isreal systematically discriminates against Palestinians in the occupied territories and calls the occupation of these territories “de facto annexation”.
ICJ says Israel’s settlement policies breached international law
The international court of justice said that Israel’s settlement policies and exploitation of natural resources in the Palestinian territories were in breach of international law.
ICJ to deliver opinion on Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories
The international court of justice has begun delivering its opinion on a pre-October 7 case regarding Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories.
In late 2022 the General Assembly asked the court to appraise Israel’s “prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation” of Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, and associated Israeli government policies.
Follow here for the latest updates …
Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said on Friday that the group carried out an operation in the Gulf of Aden targeting a vessel named Lobivia, Reuters reports.
Reuters reports that Lebanon’s Hezbollah has launched strikes on the settlements of Abirim, Neve Ziv and Manot for the first time, according to a statement released by the militia.
Hezbollah said its attack was in retaliation for an Israeli strike on Thursday that killed a field commander in the militant group’s elite Radwan forces in south Lebanon.
German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock has again called for a “humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza.
In a statement, Baerbock said: “This war in Gaza must come to an end at long last. There are no safe places in Gaza for civilians.”
Germany has been once of Israel’s staunchest allies. Baerbock said that while Israel has the right to protect itself, international law applies to each and every war. “The army has an obligation to protect the civilian population. After all, people cannot simply vanish into thin air but urgently need support and security,” she said.
Baerbock also said that Hamas has been using civilians in Gaza as “human shields since 7 October”. Israel has been criticised for using disproportionate force to target Hamas fighters. Last Saturday, 90 civilians were killed by Israeli forces in an operation the IDF said was targeting Hamas military chief, Mohammed Deif.
“All those who bear responsibility in the region and beyond must focus all their energy on negotiating a humanitarian ceasefire,” she added.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the World Health Organization, has said that “six environmental samples of variant poliovirus type 2 have been detected from Khan Younis and Deir al Balah in Gaza.”
“No paralytic cases have been detected,” he said, adding that a risk assessment is being conducted.
Six environmental samples of variant poliovirus type 2 have been detected from Khan Younis and Deir al Balah in #Gaza. No paralytic cases have been detected.
@WHO, the Ministry of Health, @UNICEF, @UNRWA and partners are conducting a risk assessment on the scope of poliovirus…— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) July 19, 2024
The European Commission and the Palestinian Authority have signed a letter of intent on addressing the budgetary situation and the economy, the commission said.
In a statement, the Commission said that “the EU will provide short-term emergency financial support to the Palestinian Authority to address its most pressing financial needs and support its substantial and credible reform agenda.”
“The financial support, worth €400 million in grants and loans, will be disbursed in three payments between July and September 2024, subject to progress in the implementation of the reform agenda of the Palestinian Authority,” it noted.
The Commission also said the “short-term financial support will pave the way for a comprehensive programme for palestinian recovery and resilience.”
“The Palestinian Authority and the Commission agreed to establish a donor coordination platform to streamline support to the Palestinian Authority in cooperation with key international partners,” it said.
Today, the 🇪🇺@EU_Commission & Palestinian Authority agreed on:
🔹 short-term emergency financial support worth €400 million – based on a substantial reform agenda
🔹 principles for a recovery & resilience programme
🔹 proposal to set up a 🇵🇸 donor coordination platformMore ⤵️
— EU Neighbourhood & Enlargement 🇪🇺 (@eu_near) July 19, 2024
The Israeli prime minister’s office said that Benjamin Netanyahu was notified in real time of the drone attack in Tel Aviv and held a situation assessment shortly after, Haaretz reported.
‘Anarchy’ spreading in Gaza over Israel’s dismantling of public order bodies, UN warns
The head of the UN human rights office (OHCHR) warned on Friday that “anarchy” was spreading in the Gaza Strip, with rampant looting, unlawful killings and shootings as the population faces an acute humanitarian crisis.
Ajith Sunghay, head of OHCHR for Gaza and the West Bank, described unlawful killings and looting in the absence of law enforcement linked to “Israel’s dismantling of local capacity to maintain public order and safety in Gaza”.
“Our office has documented alleged unlawful killings of local police and humanitarian workers, and the strangulation of supplies indispensable to the survival of the civilian population. Anarchy is spreading,” said Sunghay, who returned from a visit to Gaza on Thursday.
He said he had returned from Gaza on Thursday after spending a couple of weeks there. He described the desperate scenes on the ground. “I saw a motorbike and trailer loaded with personal possessions smouldering on the road. There was no body. But it was clear no one could have survived the strike. On the same road, I saw a bloodied donkey cart also laden with personal belongings. It too was abandoned. Why and who carried out these attacks is not clear.
“The people of Gaza are suffering immensely. It truly is desperate,” he said.
Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for OHCHR, said the conditions in Gaza had “led to the predictable and entirely foreseeable unravelling of the fabric of society in Gaza, setting people against one another in a fight for survival and tearing communities apart.”
“There is looting, mob justice, extortion of money, family disputes, random shootings, fighting for space and resources, and we see youths armed with sticks manning barricades,” he said.
In the past week, 503 Palestinians have been killed, mostly in central Gaza, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
Israel will ‘settle the score’ with those who harm country after Tel Aviv drone attack, defence minister says
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that Israel will “settle the score” with those who harm or “perpetrates terrorism” against the country after a drone attack in central Tel Aviv on Friday.
The Houthis, who are based in Yemen, claimed responsibility for the attack. IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the military believes the Houthi’s were responsible for the attack.
UK to resume Unrwa funding
The UK will resume funding to the UN Palestine relief agency Unrwa.
Britain’s foreign minister, David Lammy, who is part of the newly elected Labour government, told parliament he was reassured that the agency had taken steps to “ensure it meets the highest standards of neutrality”.
“I can confirm to the house that we are overturning the suspension of UNRWA funding, Britain will provide £21m in funds” to the agency, he said.
The US now remains the only country not to restore funding, which was withdrawn after Israel claimed in January that up to a dozen Unrwa staff had been involved in the 7 October massacre. In April, Germany, a staunch ally of Israel, resumed funding to Unrwa.
In April, it was reported that Israel was yet to provide supporting evidence of these claims, according to an independent review led by the former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna.
A separate investigation is being carried out into the 7 October attack by the UN’s Office of Internal Oversight Services. The UN said that inquiry had not yet been completed.
Famine and starvation has been documented in Gaza. Israel has barred Unrwa from making aid deliveries into northern Gaza where the threat of famine is the highest.
Reuters reports that the Israeli military believes that an Iranian-made drone which hit Tel Aviv in the early hours of Friday was launched from Yemen, chief spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a briefing.
The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, will visit Russia next month and meet with Russian president Vladimir Putin Russian state-run news agency RIA Novosti reported on Friday, citing a diplomatic source.
Welcome and opening summary
Good morning, I’m Sammy Gecsoyler and I’ll be with you for the next while.
The United Nations’ highest court is set to issue an advisory opinion on a pre-October 7 case regarding Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories at 1pm on Friday.
In late 2022 the General Assembly asked the court to appraise Israel’s “prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation” of Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, and associated Israeli government policies.
While advisory opinions of judges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) are non-binding, they carry weight under international law and a clear finding that the occupation is illegal could weaken support for Israel.
The Houthi’s, who are based in Yemen, have claimed responsibility for an apparent drone attack that hit central Tel Aviv in the early hours of Friday.
The Israeli military is investigating the attack and said they are not ruling out any possibility regarding the source.
The blast hit a building in a street near an annexe of the US embassy in Israel, according to an Agence France-Presse (AFP) journalist, who saw broken windows.
The military said in a statement:
An initial inquiry indicates that the explosion in Tel Aviv was caused by the falling of an aerial target, and no sirens were activated. The incident is under thorough review
It said air patrols had been increased to protect Israeli airspace but said it had not ordered new civil defence measures.
Footage from the site showed broken glass strewn across the city pavements as crowds of onlookers gathered near a building bearing blast marks. “The police, along with emergency and rescue forces, discovered a man in his 50s in a nearby building who was found dead in his apartment, with shrapnel wounds on his body,” a police statement said.
Two people were slightly injured, Zaki Heller of the Magen David Adom medical service told AFP.
Elsewhere, the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited southern Gaza on Thursday, including Rafah where 2 million Palestinians were forced to flee after Israeli forces invaded in May.
Netanyahu met with with troops and commanders and said talks had made him “stronger in the understanding that our control of the Philadelphi corridor and of the Rafah crossing are essential going forward,” his office said in a statement.
Netanyahu toured the Rafah crossing with Egypt and from a viewpoint saw the Philadelphi corridor, a narrow strip running the length of the Gaza side of the border with Egypt. The prime minister’s office announced his visit to Rafah once he had left.
Here’s a summary of the latest developments:
-
The poliovirus has been found in sewage samples from Gaza putting thousands of people living in crowded displaced persons’ camps at risk of contracting the highly infectious disease that can cause deformities and paralysis. The Gaza ministry said tests carried out with the UN children’s agency, Unicef, “showed the presence of poliovirus” in the territory that has endured a devastating Israeli military offensive since the 7 October Hamas attacks.
-
Overnight Israeli strikes on Thursday in central Gaza killed at least 11 people, according to the city’s civil defense organisation and hospitals. At least two children and two women were killed in airstrikes on a house and a car, reports Associated Press. In recent weeks, Israel has stepped up strikes in central Gaza, where many Palestinians have fled to escape fighting in other parts of the territory. Israel’s military said it targeted a senior commander from the militant Palestinian group Islamic Jihad’s naval forces in Gaza City, and another Islamic Jihad commander responsible for launches in the city of Shijaiyah.
-
Israel’s extremist national security minister has visited the holiest Muslim site in Jerusalem, recording a video saying he went to pray, in a provocative move as he seeks to disrupt ceasefire talks. Itamar Ben-Gvir, an ultranationalist and champion of the settler movement, recorded footage at al-Aqsa mosque compound, also known as the Temple Mount, a site holy to Muslims and Jews.
-
US President Joe Biden is still expected to meet with Netanyahu when he visits Washington next week but it will depend on his recovery from Covid, the White House said Thursday, according to Agence France-Presse. “We have every expectation that the two leaders will have a chance to see each other while prime minister Netanyahu is in town,” national security council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters in a briefing. Netanyahu is set to address the US Congress on Wednesday and Israeli media had reported a meeting with Biden on Monday, but Kirby said, “I can’t tell you at this point what that exactly is going to look like.”
-
The United States on Thursday reaffirmed its support for a two-state solution after Israeli lawmakers voted to oppose the creation of a Palestinian state as an “existential threat,” reports Agence France-Presse. “I think the best way I can respond to that is to just reiterate our firm belief in the power and the promise of the two-state solution,” said national security council spokesperson John Kirby. He declined to directly comment on key ally Israel’s vote, which was swiftly criticized by Palestinian leaders and the international community, including the United Nations.