Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Riyad Al-Malki, delivered today Palestine’s written submissions to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for the court’s opinion as well as the legal opinion on the nature of the Israeli colonial occupation in the occupied Palestinian territory and the legal consequences arising from that occupation. This came during a meeting in the Hague between Minister Al-Maliki and the ICJ’s Registrar, Philippe Gautier. Al-Malki stressed that Palestine handed the written submissions in implementation of the resolutions of the General Assembly and the decisions of the ICJ, adding that the move is part of the diplomatic and legal movement led by the State of Palestine to preserve the rights of the Palestinian people and protect them from crimes committed by Israel, the illegal occupying power, with the goal of holding Israeli war criminals accountable and lifting their immunity. He affirmed that the submission presented irrefutable evidence and facts of Israel’s illegal policies and practices, and drew a clear picture of the crimes and suffering inflicted upon the Palestinian people over decades since the Nakba. ‘These facts lead to a direct conclusion that the Israeli colonial occupation and its annexation of Palestinian land, racial discrimination and apartheid against the Palestinian people, and its systematic rejection of the inalienable rights of our people, including the right to self-determination and the right of return, are illegal,’ Al-Malki said. The foreign minister stressed that the Israeli occupation must end immediately and unconditionally, affirming that this naturally creates legal consequences and obligations, for Israel first, and for the states and organizations of the international community to oppose these illegal actions.

Source: En – Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA