The International Court of Justice on Wednesday announced the deadline for launching its probe into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, indicating that the process of harsh opposition by Israel is moving fast.
The Hague-based ICJ said the court had decided that the UN, its member states and the Palestinians “shall be able to provide information” about the Israeli investigation.
The court set a July 25 deadline for submitting written statements on the matter and an October deadline for comments on those statements.
The court said that the rest of the timeline has not been determined.
At the end of last month the court confirmed it was received The formal request by the United Nations General Assembly to weigh in on the conflict had not yet indicated that it was proceeding with the investigation or any specific details on the process.
The ICJ, also known as the World Court, is the apex court of the United Nations for arbitration of disputes between countries. Its decisions influence public opinion and legal processes but it has no enforcement mechanism. The court is separate from the International Criminal Court, which is also based in The Hague.
General Assembly in December passed a resolution The court was asked by the Palestinians for an “advisory opinion” on Israel’s “prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation of Palestinian territory”. It also called for an investigation into Israeli measures “aimed at changing the demographic composition, character and status of the holy city of Jerusalem” and alleged that Israel had adopted “discriminatory laws and measures”.
The General Assembly made the request to the court after the Commission of Inquiry of the United Nations Human Rights Council recommended doing so.
commission of inquiry overly critical The Jewish State and its reports almost entirely ignore Palestinian terrorism and violence and blame Israel for the conflict. one of the three members made antisocial remarks last year but has remained in office and has not faced any UN repercussions.
Some US Congress members have sought to introduce the bill eliminate commissionWithholding US funding from its investigation and “combating systemic anti-Israel bias at the United Nations Human Rights Council and other international fora”, although the measures have not been passed into law.
Israeli leaders have been fiercely critical of the global court’s investigation.
Israel condemned the General Assembly’s resolution to the World Court, with Gilad Erdan, Israel’s envoy to the United Nations, calling the vote a “moral stain” on the world body. He argued at the time that the vote makes Israel illegal and demonic.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu general assembly condemned on the resolution, accusing the global body of “distorting historical facts” and declaring that the Jewish people could not be “possessors” of their own land.
Israel imposes sanctions on Palestinians in response to probe, including money is withholding from the Palestinian Authority. retaliation erupted widespread international shock,
The Fourth Committee of the United Nations General Assembly votes on measures to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at the United Nations in New York on November 11, 2022. (Luke Tress/The Times of Israel)
The United States this week called on Israel and the Palestinians to halt key policies that others oppose in a bid to stem a recent increase in violence. appeal to ramallah To kick off his initiatives at international fora like the United Nations. Wednesday’s announcement indicates that the ICJ investigation is moving forward anyway and is outside US control.
The US voted against the ICJ resolution at the General Assembly but will finance the investigation as part of its budget for the UN. israel proposed defense The court’s investigation, which was unsuccessful, followed a United Nations vote in December in which the US abstained.
The court last issued an advisory opinion on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict in 2004 when the General Assembly asked it to rule on the legality of the separation barrier. The court ruled that the separation barrier built by Israel was “contrary to international law” and called on the country to stop construction immediately.
Israel ignored the decision, arguing that the barrier was a security measure intended to prevent Palestinian attackers from reaching Israeli cities. Palestinians have said that the structure was an Israeli land grab because of its route through East Jerusalem and parts of the West Bank.
The UN has a long history of passing resolutions against Israel, which, along with the US, has accused the world body of bias. Israel has also accused the Palestinians, who have non-member observer state status at the UN, of trying to use the world body to circumvent peace talks and broker a settlement.
Israel argues that the investigation is part of a larger, discriminatory pattern at the United Nations. General Assembly condemns Israel more than all other countries United last year.
Erden said on Holocaust Remembrance Day late last month that “when it comes to fighting anti-Semitism, sadly the United Nations overlooks its purpose,” calling for the Human Rights Council’s focus on Israel and highlighted anti-Semitic statements by UN staff and investigators.
