UN court's opinion on Israeli occupation draws contrasting reactions from Palestine, Israel

JERUSALEM/GAZA, July 19 (Xinhua) -- An International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory opinion deeming Israel's presence in the occupied Palestinian territories illegal has prompted contrasting reactions from the Israeli and Palestinian sides.

In a statement released on Friday, the Palestinian presidency hailed it as a "triumph for justice," urging the international community to pressure Israel to end its occupation "without conditions or exceptions."

The statement also underlined the ICJ decision as a "reaffirmation" of Palestinian self-determination and statehood rights.

The top UN court said in its non-binding opinion earlier in the day that Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem violate international law, calling on Israel to end its presence in the occupied Palestinian territories "as rapidly as possible."

Meanwhile, Hamas, which is fighting against Israel in the Gaza Strip, called for "immediate" international action on Friday to end Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories after the ICJ opinion.

The militant group said in a statement that it welcomed the ICJ's opinion, stating that it puts "the international system before the imperative of immediate action to end the occupation."

However, Israel rejected the ICJ's opinion. In a press statement on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded that "the legality of Israeli settlements in all the territories of our homeland cannot be contested."

He emphasized Israel's historical connection to the land, stating that "the Jewish people are not conquerors in their own land," referring to annexed East Jerusalem as part of the country's "eternal capital."

Foreign Minister Israel Katz echoed Netanyahu's criticism, calling the ICJ opinion "one-sided and wrong."

In a separate statement, the Israeli foreign ministry added that the advisory opinion has a non-binding status and that Israel is not compelled to adopt it, adding that the country is "committed to international law."

The ICJ issued the advisory opinion in response to a request from the UN General Assembly regarding the legal implications of Israel's occupation.

The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution in December 2022 seeking the ICJ's opinion on the legal consequences of Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem.

Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Middle East war and has controlled them ever since, despite international protests over its occupancy in these areas.