UN-backed commission welcomes ICJ advisory opinion on ‘unlawful’ Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory

The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Monday welcomed the advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that described Israel's occupation of Palestine as "unlawful," calling it "historic."

"The Court was clear and unambiguous, and the advisory opinion entails international legal obligations not only for Israel, but for the UN and all States," Navi Pillay, the chair of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel, said in a statement.

Pillay stressed that the maintenance and promotion of the international rules-based order "will depend on compliance with this advisory opinion."

The recent ICJ opinion, in response to a 2022 request by the UN General Assembly, said Israel's occupation of East Jerusalem and the West Bank is "unlawful" and should be brought to an end "as rapidly as possible."

It said Israel should cease new settlement activities, and "evacuate all settlers from the Occupied Palestinian Territory."