UN top court declares Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory 'illegal'

Israel's decades-long occupation of the Palestinian territories is illegal and needs to end "as rapidly as possible", the UN's top court said Friday.

"The court has found that Israel's continued presence in the Palestinian Territories is illegal," International Court of Justice presiding judge Nawaf Salam said, adding: "Israel must end the occupation as rapidly as possible."

Policies and practices used by Israel in its occupation of Palestinian territories are in breach of international law, the United Nations' top court said in its landmark opinion.

The court said Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, as well as "the regime associated with them" were established and are being maintained in violation of international law.

It further said that Israel systematically discriminates against Palestinians in the occupied territories and branded the occupation of the territories “de facto annexation,” and that Israel’s exploitation of natural resources in the Palestinian territories likewise violates international law.

Israel’s “unlawful policies and practices” were “in breach of Israel’s obligation to respect the right of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination,” the court said.

The International Court of Justice, which is based at The Hague in the Netherlands, had been looking into the legal consequences of Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories following a request from the United Nations General Assembly.

The assembly had asked the court in January 2023, prior to Hamas' Oct. 7 attacks and the start of the war in Gaza, to deliver an opinion on Israeli "policies and practices" toward Palestinians and on the legal status of the occupation of Palestinian territories, including the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza.

The court's advisory opinion is not legally binding, but it could have a significant political impact as Israel faces mounting backlash and isolation over its deadly offensive in Gaza, where nearly 39,000 people, including thousands of children, have been killed since the war began, according to local health officials.