THE HAGUE: The UN’s top court will on Friday hand down its view on the legal consequences of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories since 1967, amid growing international pressure over the war in Gaza.
Any opinion delivered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) would be non-binding, but it comes amid mounting concern over Israel’s war against Hamas sparked by the group’s brutal October 7 attacks.
A separate high-profile case brought before the court by South Africa alleges that Israel has committed genocidal acts during its Gaza offensive.
Judges will read their findings at 1300 GMT at the opulent Peace Palace in The Hague, the home of the ICJ.
The UN’s General Assembly asked the ICJ in late 2022 to give an “advisory opinion” on the “legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.”
The ICJ held a week-long session in February to hear submissions from countries following the request — supported by most countries within the Assembly.
Most speakers too during the hearings called on Israel to end its 57-year occupation. They warned a prolonged occupation posed an “extreme danger” to stability in the Middle East and beyond.
But the United States said Israel should not be legally obliged to withdraw without taking its “very real security needs” into account.
Israel did not take part in the oral hearings.
Instead, it submitted a written contribution in which it described the questions the court had been asked as “prejudicial” and “tendentious.”
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 self-determination.”
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.”
In June 1967, Israel crushed some of its Arab neighbors in a six-day war, seizing the West Bank including east Jerusalem from Jordan, the Golan Heights from Syria, and the Gaza Strip and Sinai Peninsula from Egypt.
Israel then began to settle the 70,000 square kilometers (27,000 square miles) of seized Arab territory.
The UN later declared the occupation of Palestinian territory illegal, and Cairo regained Sinai under its 1979 peace deal with Israel.
The ICJ has also been asked to look into the consequences of what it described as Israel’s “adoption of related discriminatory legislation and measures.”
Secondly, the ICJ should advise on how Israel’s actions “affect the legal status of the occupation” and what are the consequences for the UN and other countries.
The ICJ rules in disputes between states. Normally, its judgments are binding although it has little means to enforce them.
In this case however, the opinion it issues will be non-binding, although most advisory opinions are in fact acted upon.
UN court opinion due on occupied Palestinian land
https://arab.news/jfhyj
UN court opinion due on occupied Palestinian land
- Any opinion delivered by the International Court of Justice would be non-binding
- But it comes amid mounting concern over Israel’s war against Hamas
Israeli raid kills 3 Hezbollah men, group hits back with guided missiles
- Israeli military reported “targeting a Hezbollah cell in the town of Blida, resulting in the death of three members”
- Israel says it thwarted Hezbollah operation to assassinate high ranking security official
BEIRUT: Three people were killed and two others injured during an Israeli raid on two houses in the border town of Blida, Lebanon, on Tuesday.
Rescue workers were seen searching through debris in footage shared by activists on social media.
The Israeli military reported “targeting a Hezbollah cell in the town of Blida, resulting in the death of three members.”
The intensity of violent hostilities between Hezbollah and the Israeli army escalated after reports from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office indicating that the security Cabinet approved a decision to expand the war in Lebanon, “with the aim of allowing Israeli settlers in the north to return to their homes.”
This escalation came a day after Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met with US presidential envoy Amos Hochstein, who delivered a message from the US warning of the “dangers of escalating tensions in Lebanon and the necessity of containing the conflict to avoid a full-scale war.”
But Gallant told Hochstein that “the only viable path to ensure the return of the residents of the north is through a military operation against Hezbollah.”
Netanyahu’s office said he made it clear to Hochstein during their meeting “firmly and decisively that our residents cannot be returned without a fundamental change in the security situation in the north, and Israel appreciates and respects the support of the United States, but will do what is necessary to maintain its security and facilitate the safe return of residents of the north to their homes.”
This escalation coincided with the Israeli military’s announcement regarding what it termed the "foiling of a Hezbollah attempt to assassinate a high ranking security figure using an explosive device,” but it did not specify the location or date of the incident.
The announcement said: “We warned the targeted individual before the explosion. The Shin Bet uncovered the explosive device linked to a remote activation mechanism, which included a camera and a mobile phone intended for activation by Hezbollah from Lebanon.”
It added: “Security assessments indicate that certain elements within Hezbollah were also involved in the preparations related to the Tel Aviv operation in September 2023, and that Hezbollah continues to escalate tensions in the region, leading it toward perilous situations.”
Hezbollah opened the southern front on Oct. 8, 2023, to support “the resistance in the Gaza Strip against the Israeli army.”
Since then, the militant group has had daily confrontations on the borders with the Israeli army, which several times breached the rules of engagement.
Hostilities reached areas deep inside Lebanon and northern Israel, leading to the death of more than 650 people on the Lebanese side, the majority of whom were Hezbollah cadres and members, in addition to civilians, paramedics and media personalities.
More than 110,000 people fled border villages to other towns deep inside Lebanon, as Israeli raids and bombings destroyed thousands of houses and infrastructure in the border region.
Media reports in Beirut quoted a source close to Hezbollah on Tuesday, saying that “any Israeli military land operation in southern Lebanon will not be a mere promenade and will cost heavily.”
The source added: “Israelis know that there are many obstacles facing any land operation. Nevertheless, Hezbollah is ready for any scenario and will deal with any bad option.”
The ball is in Israel’s court, the source said, “as it continues its violations of the Lebanese airspace and its occupation of the Kfarchouba Hills and the Shebaa Farms.”
Hezbollah increased the intensity of its operations against Israeli military outposts in the past 24 hours, on Tuesday targeting “Israeli soldiers in the Karantina Hill,” according to its official statements.
On Monday night and Tuesday morning it also targeted “a gathering of soldiers in the Al-Abad site with a guided missile,” in addition to “buildings used by the enemy’s soldiers in the Manara settlement.”
The militant group also hit “several Israeli vehicles in the Ramiyah outpost with a guided missile.” At the time a support force entered the area, it was targeted by Hezbollah “with artillery missiles, causing confirmed hits.”
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency UNRWA, said: “We should always be ready for the worst, although we are hopeful that the worst won’t happen.
“The situation is really worrying.”
Lazzarini visited Nabih Berri, speaker in Lebanon’s Parliament, Prime Minster Najib Mikati, and Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib and discussed the issues confronting UNRWA, which “faces financial challenges.”
He said there are calls for UNRWA’s dismantlement, and that pressure is being exerted by the Israeli Knesset in this direction. “Not a day goes by without UNRWA facilities and employees being targeted.”
Russian, Egyptian ministers reiterate need to establish Palestinian state
- Badr Abdelatty and Sergey Lavrov exchanged views on the Israeli aggression against the occupied Palestinian territories
- Two ministers discussed the Dabaa nuclear power plant and the Russian industrial zone in the Suez Canal Economic Zone
CAIRO: The foreign ministers of Egypt and Russia reiterated the necessity of establishing a Palestinian state on the entire Palestinian territory, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
They also agreed on the need for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and unconditional humanitarian aid access.
Badr Abdelatty, who was in Moscow on Monday, and Sergey Lavrov exchanged views on the Israeli aggression against the occupied Palestinian territories in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
The two men held an expanded consultation session, followed by a joint press conference.
Abdelatty emphasized the need for bilateral cooperation in various fields, especially in the sectors of energy, food security, tourism, transport and logistics, “which contribute to advancing economic and trade relations between the two countries … especially with Egypt’s accession to the BRICS membership.”
The two ministers discussed the developments of important projects being implemented, most notably the Dabaa nuclear power plant and the Russian industrial zone in the Suez Canal Economic Zone.
Abdelatty and Lavrov also touched on the situations in Syria, Sudan and Libya, in addition to the need to achieve security in the Red Sea and ensure freedom of maritime navigation in this vital region of the world.
He emphasized the importance of Somali sovereignty over its territories, and condemned any action that undermines its unity.
Regarding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Abdelatty emphasized the importance of Egypt’s water security and the need to reach a binding legal agreement on filling and operating the dam, and rejecting any unilateral measures.
The dam is on the Blue Nile tributary in the northern Ethiopia highlands, from where 85 percent of the Nile’s waters flow. Egypt, with a population of about 107 million people, relies on the River Nile for nearly all its fresh water, which is vital for household and agricultural use.
Netanyahu’s approval rating deteriorates at home and abroad
- Netanyahu has failed to negotiate a ceasefire and many Israelis now accuse him of sabotaging talks
- 74 percent of Jews in the UK view Israel’s overall situation in a negative light
LONDON: Benjamin Netanyahu’s approval rating has fallen — in Israel and abroad — with British Jews showing “significant disapproval” of the current Israeli leadership.
More than 11 months into the war in Gaza, the death toll among Palestinians is more than 41,000. Farther north, there has been almost daily cross-border fire between Israeli forces and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, raising fears of an all-out Middle East war.
Meanwhile, there are 101 people still being held hostage by Hamas. At least six others are believed to have been killed by airstrikes on the besieged enclave.
Netanyahu has failed to negotiate a ceasefire and many Israelis now accuse him of sabotaging talks.
A new report by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research determined it is failures like these that have contributed to British Jews’ disapproval of the Israeli leadership.
Based on the most recent data, 80 percent either strongly or somewhat disapprove of Netanyahu, while only 12 percent strongly or somewhat approve.
In addition, 74 percent of Jews in the UK view Israel’s overall situation in a negative light, a figure nearly 10 percent higher than Israelis’ view of their country.
This is significantly worse than a year previously, reflecting the crisis of Oct. 7, the extended captivity of the hostages, and the ongoing war in Gaza.
The strictly orthodox, men, and people who voted for right-wing parties in the previous UK election were the most likely groups to view Israeli government policies more positively.
JPR’s executive director, Dr. Jonathan Boyd, said: ‘The Jewish community in the UK holds strong ties and attachments to Israel, and the events of the past year have affected British Jews very deeply.
“In many respects, we can see that they feel closer to Israel now than they did before October 7.
“Still, as this report demonstrates, we are also seeing high levels of disapproval for Netanyahu and even higher levels for the hard-right members of his coalition, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir.
“As much as Israel matters to British Jews, many are expressing clear concern about its current political leadership.”
14,000 Gaza amputees will get rapid prosthetic limbs using UK tech
- Program involves UK-based companies Koalaa and Amparo, both of which have developed easy-to-fit sockets for upper and lower limb prosthetics
LONDON: A Jordanian-led initiative to equip thousands of victims of the war in Gaza with prosthetic limbs has started, Sky News reported on Tuesday.
Two mobile clinics entered the war-ravaged territory on Monday with the aim of helping 14,000 amputees. The estimated cost of each fitting is around £1,000 ($1,321).
The program involves UK-based companies Koalaa and Amparo, both of which have developed easy-to-fit sockets for upper and lower limb prosthetics.
Using advanced British-designed technology, the doctors aim to fit a functioning prosthesis every hour.
Each fitting will be registered digitally, allowing for remote follow-up procedures with specialist doctors based in Amman or around the world.
“Medical estimates indicate that over 14,000 people have been injured and lost one or more limbs,” Jordanian Brig. Gen. Mustafa Al-Hiyari told Sky News.
“Our project is distinguished not only by the large number (of prosthetics provided) but also by its speed; as specialists will declare, a prosthetic limb would be installed in less than an hour.
“Those who cannot reach the hospital, the equipped vans will go to them,” the Jordanian Armed Forces member said.
Most of the amputees from the war cannot leave Gaza for treatment elsewhere, and the conflict has displaced about 90 percent of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million.
The top UN humanitarian official for Gaza told the UN Security Council on Monday that more must be done to protect civilians.
“Time is slipping away as a man-made humanitarian crisis has turned Gaza into the abyss,” Sigrid Kaag, the UN senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza, said.
Kaag said humanitarian operations are impeded by lawlessness, Israeli evacuation orders, fighting, and operating conditions for aid workers. She cited Israeli denials of access, delays, a lack of safety and security, and “poor logistical infrastructure.”
More than 1,000 people, including Hezbollah members, wounded in Lebanon when pagers explode
- Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was injured by the explosion, Iran’s Mehr news agency reported
- Hezbollah official said detonation of the pagers was the “biggest security breach” the group had been subjected to in nearly a year of war with Israel
BEIRUT: More than 1,000 people, including Hezbollah fighters and medics, were wounded on Tuesday when the pagers they use to communicate exploded across Lebanon, security sources told Reuters.
A Hezbollah official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the detonation of the pagers was the “biggest security breach” the group had been subjected to in nearly a year of war with Israel.
Iran’s Mehr news agency said the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was injured by one of the blasts. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report.
Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the Gaza war erupted last October, the worst such escalation in years.
The Israeli military declined to comment on Reuters enquiries about the detonations.
A Reuters journalist saw ambulances rushing through the southern suburbs of the capital Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, amid widespread panic. A security source said that devices were also exploding in the south of Lebanon.
At Mt. Lebanon hospital, a Reuters reporter saw motorcycles rushing to the emergency room, where people with their hands bloodied were screaming in pain.
The head of the Nabatieh public hospital in the south of the country, Hassan Wazni, told Reuters that around 40 wounded people were being treated at his facility. The wounds included injuries to the face, eyes and limbs.
The wave of explosions lasted around an hour after the initial detonations, which took place about 3:45 p.m. local time (1345 GMT). It was not immediately clear how the devices were detonated.
Lebanese internal security forces said a number of wireless communication devices were detonated across Lebanon, especially in Beirut’s southern suburbs, leading to injuries.
Groups of people huddled at the entrance of buildings to check on people they knew who may have been wounded, the Reuters journalist said.
Regional broadcasters carrying CCTV footage which showed what appeared to be a small handheld device placed next to a grocery store cashier where an individual was paying spontaneously exploding. In other footage, an explosion appeared to knock out someone standing at a fruit stand at a market area.
Lebanon’s crisis operations center, which is run by the health ministry, asked all medical workers to head to their respective hospitals to help cope with the massive numbers of wounded coming into for urgent care. It said health care workers should not use pagers.
The Lebanese Red Cross said more than 50 ambulances and 300 emergency medical staff were dispatched to assist in the evacuation of victims.
Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel immediately after the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas gunmen on Israel. Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging fire constantly ever since, while avoiding a major escalation as war rages in Gaza to the south.
Tens of thousands of people have been displaced from towns and villages on both sides of the border by the hostilities.
