Israel rejects legitimacy of ongoing ICJ hearing on its occupation

With the hearings at the International Court of Justice over Israel’s occupation set to continue tomorrow, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has issued a statement saying it does not recognise the legitimacy of the ongoing proceedings.

The statement said that the trial was “designed to harm Israel’s right to defend itself from existential threats”.

“The hearing in The Hague is part of a Palestinian attempt to dictate the results of a diplomatic settlement without any negotiations,” the statement added. “We will continue to fight this attempt, and the government and the Knesset are unified in rejecting his invalid trend.”

Netanyahu has called an ICJ hearing on Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories “an unacceptable course of action”, part of a long history of rejecting Palestinian efforts to exercise sovereignty.

Reporting from occupied East Jerusalem, Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut says the Israeli government position is that “they will unilaterally reject accepting a Palestinian state, so it’s not surprising that this is being reiterated by the Israeli prime minister”.

“They’re also calling it a ‘media circus’, saying that it’s one sided, and the Israeli prime minister again saying he rejects its legitimacy, to give you an idea of the denial of Israel’s military occupation,” Salhut said.

“So this is a reoccurring theme with the statements we get from the Israeli prime minister, and it’s not surprising in the slightest.”

Subscribe to our channel http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe
Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglish
Find us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera
Check our website: https://www.aljazeera.com/
Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/
Download AJE Mobile App: https://aje.io/AJEMobile

#Israel #BenjaminNetanyahu #Netanyahu #IsraeliCabinet #ICJ #Palestine #UN #ICJHearing #IsraeliOccupation #IsraelIllegalOccupation #InternationalLaw #HumanRight #IsraelPalestineConflict