Palestinians hail ICJ ruling, condemnation in Israel

The Palestinian leadership hailed as "historic" Friday a ruling by the top UN court that Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories is illegal but the opinion drew condemnation from Israel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the International Court of Justice had made a "decision of lies" by finding that Israel's policies and practices "amount to annexation of large parts" of the occupied territories.

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The office of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said it welcomed the "historic decision and demands that Israel be compelled to implement it."

In its non-binding advisory opinion, The Hague-based court found that Israel was "under an obligation to cease immediately all new settlement activities and to evacuate all settlers" from occupied land.

The ruling has drawn added attention because it comes against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

The ICJ ruling comes in response to a UN General Assembly query in 2022 regarding the legal consequences of Israel's "prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967".

The UN later declared the occupation of Palestinian territory illegal.

A separate ICJ case brought by South Africa alleges that Israel's Gaza offensive, launched after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, breached the 1948 UN Genocide Convention. Israel has strongly denied the accusation.