BRUSSELS, Belgium: The top UN court’s ruling that Israel’s 57-year occupation of Palestinian land was “illegal” is “largely consistent with EU positions,” the bloc’s foreign policy chief said Saturday.
The sweeping opinion on Friday by The Hague-based International Court of Justice — which called for the occupation to end as soon as possible — was immediately slammed as a “decision of lies” by Israel.
But the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs said that the bloc had taken “good note” of the court’s ruling and urged further backing for the court’s opinion.
“In a world of constant and increasing violations of international law, it is our moral duty to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to all ICJ decisions in a consistent manner, irrespective of the subject in question,” Josep Borrell said.
He added in a statement that the opinion “will need to be analyzed more thoroughly, including in view of its implications for EU policy.”
The ICJ’s ruling is not binding, but it comes amid mounting concern over the death toll and destruction in Israel’s war against Hamas sparked by the group’s brutal October 7 attacks, as well as increased tensions in the West Bank.
Its intervention is likely to increase diplomatic pressure on Israel over the war in Gaza, as will the EU’s backing.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced the ruling.
“The Jewish people are not occupiers in their own land — not in our eternal capital Jerusalem, nor in our ancestral heritage of Judea and Samaria” (the occupied West Bank), he said in a statement.
In June 1967, Israel seized the then-Jordan-annexed West Bank and East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights from Syria, and the Gaza Strip and Sinai Peninsula from Egypt in a crushing six-day war against its Arab neighbors.
It 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 the Sinai under its 1979 peace deal with Israel.
EU backs ICJ ruling on ‘illegal’ Israeli occupation
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EU backs ICJ ruling on ‘illegal’ Israeli occupation
- The ICJ’s ruling is not binding, but it comes amid mounting concern over the death toll and destruction in Israel’s war against Hamas
Russia urges UK to disclose what soldier killed in Ukraine was doing, accuses London of wider role
- Britain’s Ministry of Defense said the soldier died in Ukraine while observing Ukrainian forces test a new defensive capability
- Zakharova said the British government should not deceive its citizens
MOSCOW: Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that Britain needed to disclose what a British soldier killed in Ukraine on Tuesday was really doing there, accusing London of helping Kyiv carry out “acts of terrorism.”
Britain’s Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday that the soldier, Lance Corporal George Hooley, died in Ukraine while observing Ukrainian forces test a new defensive capability away from the frontline.
Zakharova said the British government should not deceive its citizens by claiming that British soldiers sent to Ukraine were mere advisers or instructors, accusing British forces of helping Kyiv “carry out terrorist attacks and extremist tasks” on London’s direct orders.
Zakharova, who said Russia would regard any foreign military contingents in Ukraine as legitimate targets, did not set out evidence to back up her accusations of alleged wider UK involvement.
The British government, one of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters, has never confirmed how many service personnel are in Ukraine but the BBC has reported that a small contingent is supporting Ukrainian forces and is providing security to diplomatic staff.
