United Nations court opens hearings into Israel’s occupation of Palestinian-claimed lands

Historic hearings concerning Israel opened Monday morning, Feb. 19, at the United Nations’ top court in The Hague. But while the country’s ongoing war with Hamas has been brought up, it is not the focus of this case, unlike last month’s ruling by the court that said Israel must take action to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza.

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Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki pleaded with the court to declare Israel’s occupation of Palestinian-claimed land illegal and rule that Israel end its occupation immediately. The foreign minister added that would be the only way a two-state solution survives. And the Israel-Hamas war also became a focal point almost immediately during the hearing.

“2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza, half of them children, are besieged and bombed, killed and maimed, starved and displaced,” al-Maliki said. “More than 3.5 million Palestinians in the West Bank, including in Jerusalem, are subjected to colonization of their territory and racist violence that enables it.”

More than a year before the war began, the U.N. General Assembly requested the court rule on Israel’s 57-year occupation of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem. These are areas sought by Palestinians for an independent state. The court is set to hear from about 50 nations, including the United States, Britain, China, and Russia. The session is scheduled to last six days, and then the court will issue an advisory opinion, though it is not legally binding on Israel.