The International Court of Justice (ICJ) will hold public hearings to allow parties to give their views on the legal consequences of Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories before eventually issuing a non-binding legal opinion, it said yesterday.
Hearings in the Dutch city of The Hague will open yesterday, Feb. 19, the court said.
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The 193-member United Nations General Assembly in December had asked the ICJ, also known as the World Court, to give its view on the on-going conflict between Israel and Palestinians.
The request for a so-called advisory opinion had been made before the current escalation in the region, so the ICJ’s opinion will focus solely on the Israeli occupation. It was made in a resolution adopted by the General Assembly with 87 votes in favour. Israel, the United States and 24 other members voted against, while 53 abstained.