By Agencies
UNITED NATIONS (AA): The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution Friday that asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to give an advisory opinion on the legal consequences of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories.
Eighty-seven member states voted in favor of the resolution, while 26 countries, including Israel, US, UK, Germany voted against it. A total of 53 nations abstained. Russia and China voted in favour of the resolution.
The resolution asked the Hague-based court, also known as the World Court, to give its opinion ”on the legal consequences arising from the ongoing violation by Israel of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, from its prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including measures aimed at altering the demographic composition character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem, and from its adoption of related discriminatory legislation and measures.”’
Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, blasted the approval of the resolution and said it was a” despicable decision” and” a disgrace to the UN and to any country that supports it.”
”Any decision from a judicial body which receives its mandate from the morally bankrupt and politicized UN is completely illegitimate,” he said.
“We do not feel that a referral to the International Court of Justice is helpful in bringing the parties back to dialogue,” UK diplomat Thomas Phipps said of the UN vote.
“It is also the position of the UK that it is inappropriate without the consent of both parties to ask the court to give an advisory opinion in what is essentially a bilateral dispute.”
Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour said: ”This vote comes one day after the new Israeli government was formed pledging to accelerate colonial and racist policies against the Palestinian people.”
“We trust that, regardless of your vote today, if you believe in international law and peace, you will uphold the opinion of the International Court of Justice when delivered and you will stand up to this Israeli government right now.”
Israel has been occupying Palestinian territories since 1967.
The UN court last weighed in on the Israeli- Palestinian conflict in 2014.
ICJ deals with disputes between states. Its rulings are binding, but it has no power to enforce them.
