AMMAN — The UN
on Friday voted to ask the
International Court of Justice (ICJ) for an opinion
on the legal status of the Israeli occupation, settlement, and annexation of
Palestinian territories occupied since 1967.
اضافة اعلان
The request,
made by the
Palestinian Authority, passed with 98 votes in favor, 17 against,
and 52 abstentions.
General Director
of Al-Haq and Secretary General of the International Federation for Human
Rights in Ramallah Shawan Jabarin told
Jordan News that if the court
opinion then passes at the General Assembly next month, “this would have legal
consequences for the right of the Palestinian people’s right to
self-determination and the nature of the Israeli occupation”.
Jabarin compared
the awaited opinion to a UN advisory opinion on the legal status of South
Africa’s presence in Namibia, back in 1970, “which led to the liberation of the
country”.
In 2004, the ICJ
issued an advisory opinion that Israel’s building of a barrier in the occupied
Palestinian territory is illegal, and said that construction must stop
immediately and Israel should make reparations for any damage caused.
It had no
bearing on Israel, “due to the weakness and inaction of the Palestinian
official side”, he said.
“We had a mine
of legal actions, but we did not use it as required; however, the awaited
opinion will be very important since it discusses the illegality of
occupation,” he added.
Faisal
Al-Khozai, international lawyer and former Jordan representative at the
International Criminal Court, told
Jordan News that the vote “comes in
time”, as the new Israeli extreme right-wing government raises concerns in many
countries in the region.
He, however, was
skeptical about Israel’s complying with any international decisions, “as usual,
due to the US vetoes, which back Israel’s impunity”.
Hasan Hattab, an
international lawyer, described the vote as “an important, yet belated, step”.
He told
Jordan
News that the court opinion, if sanctioned by the
UN General Assembly,
could “lead to a series of steps that may lead to actions as important as
dismantling illegal settlements”.
Professor in
public international law and human rights Ayman Halaseh told
Jordan News that the advisory opinion “has no binding value, but has a moral value”.
He added that
although the current political environment does not allow the Palestinians to
pressure for serious action against Israel, “the opinion is still valuable and
could be used, along with other legal opinions and evidence, in the future”.
Halaseh added
that the impact of advisory opinions can be usually seen at grassroots level.
In contrast to
its previous voting pattern, Ukraine voted in favor of the request.
Hassan
Al-Momani, professor of international relations and regional studies, told
Jordan
News that it is in
Ukraine’s interest to support any “UN decision,
prohibiting annexation and territorial conquest”.
“Ukraine has
territories that were captured by Russia. If it supports the occupation in
another country, this would automatically legitimize the Russian occupation of
its territories and weaken its position,” he said.
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