ICJ hears new case against Israel's occupation

The UN’s International Court of Justice (ICJ), also known as the World Court, is holding a week of public hearings on the consequences of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories after a UN General Assembly request asked for an advisory legal opinion related to the occupied Palestinian territories. The hearings began on Monday. More than 50 states and at least three international organisations will address judges at the ICJ until February 26. The judges are expected to produce a nonbinding legal opinion after months of deliberation. These hearings are separate from South Africa’s ICJ case in January which accused Israel of committing acts of genocide in Gaza, and asked the court to order a ceasefire which it did not do, but found ‘plausible’ evidence for genocide. This is the second time the ICJ has been asked for an advisory legal opinion related to the occupied Palestinian territory, upon request from the UN General Assembly. In July 2004, the ICJ found Israel’s separation wall in the occupied West Bank violated international law and should be taken down, but Israel ignored that ruling and the wall still stands to this day.