Royal Jerusalem Committee hails ICJ’s acceptance of UN request for opinion on Israeli occupation 

AMMAN — Secretary-General of the Royal Committee for Jerusalem Affairs Abdullah Kanaan said that the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) announcement regarding an official request from the UN General Assembly soliciting the committee’s opinion on the legal ramifications of the Israeli occupation, colonisation, land annexation and racist procedures to change the demographic structure in the West Bank, constitute a legal, human and moral indicator.

Kanaan said that the move contributes to restoring the international community and global bodies’ attention to the suffering of the Palestinian people and their stolen rights, and places the Palestinian issue at the forefront of causes central to global security and peace, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The secretary general highlighted the need for cooperation among all Arab, Islamic and international political, legal and media institutions, and coordination to support Palestinians' rights and their legitimate historical demands, in addition to assigning specialised teams to collect information and statistics related to the Israeli occupation and its aggressive practices against Palestinians.

He noted that in response to the General Assembly's recommendation and the declaration from the International Court of Justice, the Israeli occupation authorities imposed unjust sanctions on the Palestinian people, including preventing the entry of some Palestinian officials into the occupied territories, and the freezing of construction in “Area C". 

“Area C” constitutes the largest part of the occupied West Bank under Israeli administrative and security control.

Kanaan said that this procedure is based on Israel's fear of the consequences of any legal advisory opinion related to the occupation of Palestine, which contradicts history, law, legality and human morals.

He added that the committee stresses the importance of initiating proceedings to issue the court's legal advisory opinion on the occupation and its ongoing crimes, especially in light of the escalating attacks on the Palestinian people perpetrated by a hard-right government led by "Zionist religious party leaders whose philosophy and agenda is to exterminate the Palestinian people, expel them from their land and Judaise them”.

Kanaan called for obliging the occupation government to implement hundreds of resolutions issued by the United Nations and affiliated organisations.

Despite the legally binding nature of advisory opinions issued by the ICJ, including the 2004 opinion on the legal implications from the construction of the separation wall in the West Bank, Kanaan noted that there is an urgent need for an international will to enact all decisions issued by international organisations.

He reiterated that Jordan will continue to support Palestine, Jerusalem and the rights of its people to self-determination and the establishment of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, “regardless of the price and sacrifices”.