Palestinian official ‘optimistic’ about World Court ruling on Israeli occupation

By Qais Abu Samra

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – A Palestinian official sounded optimistic on Wednesday about an International Court of Justice (ICJ)'s advisory opinion in favor of Palestine regarding the nature of the Israeli occupation.

The Hague-based court is set to hear a Palestinian request for an advisory opinion on the legal consequences of the decades-long Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories as of Feb. 19.

“The ICJ actions are consistent with international law,” Omar Awadallah, a senior official in the Palestinian Foreign Ministry, told Anadolu on Wednesday.

“An ICJ verdict will give us new powers to hold states responsible for Israel's actions,” he added.

The Palestinian official said that 55 countries and organizations will present their legal arguments before the UN court between Feb. 19 and 26, while Israel will be absent.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 Hamas attack, killing at least 28,567 people and injuring 68,291 others, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli war on Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the ICJ, which in an interim ruling this January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio