Palestinians accuse Israel of ‘apartheid’ at UN top court
THE HAGUE (AFP) – Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Malki told the United Nations’ top court yesterday that his people were suffering “colonialism and apartheid” under the Israeli occupation, as judges weigh the legal conseqences of the Israeli occupation.
“The Palestinians have endured colonialism and apartheid. There are those who are enraged by these words. They should be enraged by the reality we are suffering,” Al-Malki said.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is holding hearings all week on the legal implications of Israel’s occupation since 1967, with an unprecedented 52 countries expected to give evidence.
Nations, including the United States, Russia and China, will address judges at the Peace Palace in The Hague, seat of the ICJ.
In December 2022, the UN General Assembly asked the ICJ for a non-binding “advisory opinion” on the “legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.”
While any ICJ opinion would be nonbinding, it comes amid mounting international legal pressure on Israel over the war in Gaza sparked by the brutal Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.
The hearings are separate from a highprofile case brought by South Africa alleging that Israel is committing genocidal acts during the current Gaza offensive.
The ICJ ruled in that case in January that Israel must do everything in its power to prevent genocide and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, but stopped short of ordering a ceasefire.
On Friday, it rejected South Africa’s bid to impose additional measures on Israel, but reiterated the need to carry out the ruling in full.
The General Assembly has asked the ICJ to consider two questions.
Firstly, the court should examine the legal consequences of what the UN called “the ongoing violation by Israel of the right of the Palestinian people to selfdetermination.”
This relates to the “prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967” and “measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem.”