Emmanuel Ukudolo, Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024
HAGUE, Netherlands – Proceedings continued before the International Court of Justice, ICJ at the Hague, Netherlands on the legality of Israel’s 56 years of brutal occupation of Palestine with Iran reiterating the rights of Palestinians to self determination under international law.
Raza Najafi, the legal representative of Iran described Israel’s occupation of Palestine as the longest occupation in history, noting that justice for Palestine has been delayed for 56 years and called on the ICJ to act swiftly by holding a Referendum for Palestine on Self determination.
“The calamity of Gaza is the calamity of all, it is incumbent on all to prevent Israel from continuing its operation in Gaza”, he said, stressing that the ICJ should bring hope to the Palestinians that justice will ultimately prevail.
“ It is a moral responsibility and we must fulfill it. International community has a moral obligation to act swiftly. The best way is to hold a referendum in the whole of Palestine”, he told the ICJ.
Najafi told the ICJ that ruling on the illegality and consequence of Israel’s brutal occupation of Palestine will aid and not frustrate future negotiations as the representative of the United States made the UN court to believe.
According to him, the court has jurisdiction to offer advisory to assist the general assembly to make its decision. He told the UN court that Israel, the occupying regime, has violated and has continued to violate the rights of Palestine to self determination, by altering demographics, destroying holy cities and sites and building settlements in the West Bank, with the intention to make the settlements permanent.
There are about 700,000 settlements already built in the West Bank.
“It is the longest occupation in history. The prolonged occupation is a violation of the rights of Palestine to self determination”.
He made it clear that it is against international law for an occupying power to forcefully transfer civilians in the territory it occupies.
He said that actions of Israel are changing the demographic composition of Palestine and denied the Palestinians the right to live in their homeland, adding that most Palestinians today live far away from their homeland, in Jordan, Iran, Syria, Lebanon with some in tents as a result of the actions of Israel.
According to him, forcible displacement of civilians is a war crime and likened the actions of Israel in Palestine to apartheid, with one set of law for jews in the occupied territory and another discriminatory laws for Palestinians in Palestinian land under Israeli occupation.
Najafi argued that the right of Palestine to exercise permanent sovereignty is an inevitable component of the rights to self determination and that inherent restriction on Palestine prevents Palestinians from enjoying their rights to self determination.
He said that allies of Israel are under obligation to remind her of its international obligations.
“Those supporting Israel have obligation to prevent genocide by ceasing any aid to Israel”, stressing that partial compliance with UN resolution in the main is through complete termination of its operation in the Gaza strip.
He called on UN agencies to document human rights violations and ensure that the perpetrators are made to face the consequence of their actions.
Najafi called on the ICJ to make conclusive decision with follow up mechanism to include full implementation by Israel.
