The League of Arab States' legal representative presented an oral argument before the International Court of Justice in The Hague on 26 February as part of the court's advisory opinion on "the legal consequences arising from Israel’s practices in the occupied Palestinian territory."
Gamal Roshdy, the spokesman for the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, highlighted that the plea was meticulously crafted by a specialised legal team known for its competence. It encompassed various arguments—historical, legal, political, and humanitarian—aimed at refuting the legitimacy of the Israeli occupation and discrediting arguments presented by the occupying state or other parties to justify its continuation.
Roshdy emphasised that the League's legal representative specifically addressed arguments, especially security-related ones, presented by countries, including the United States, in the past days. The representative stressed that accepting the perpetuation of the occupation until an agreement meets the security concerns of the occupying state is an innovation unrelated to international law. The occupation, as per the plea, is legally invalid and implicated in crimes against humanity.
The spokesman added that the plea focused on the occupation's violation of the right to self-determination endorsed by international legitimacy. It also underscored the violation of the principle of the inadmissibility of seizing land by force. Additionally, it highlighted the establishment of a regime based on racial domination and an apartheid system, leading to the complete deprivation of Palestinian rights, including those in East Jerusalem, who cannot enjoy the benefits of citizenship that are only available to Jews after Israel illegally annexed Jerusalem. Israel has established a system that is closer to annexation in the other occupied territories in the West Bank and Gaza.
Roshdy explained that the plea primarily drew from Palestinian and Arab positions, aiming to articulate the narrative with Arab consensus on the Palestinian cause since World War I, the Nakba of 1948, and the 1967 war that resulted in the occupation of Palestine. It addressed the entirety of history, highlighting the denial of rights to Palestinians in the occupied territories and refugees in the diaspora.
