On July 19, the International Court of Justice, or ICJ, ruled that Israel’s occupation of Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem is illegal and must end immediately. Palestinians, of course, have been saying this for years. The court stated that Israel must halt all new settlement construction, evacuate settlers, and pay reparations to Palestinians, calling some of Israel’s policies “apartheid.” This advisory opinion, requested by the United Nations, marks a significant condemnation of Israel’s legal defenses. The ruling emphasizes the occupation’s illegality and highlights the need for international accountability and policy shifts. This historic ruling, though non-binding, challenges Israel’s legal defenses for the first time.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas celebrated the decision as a victory for justice, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed it calling it “absurd.” The United States responded by affirming only that Israel’s settlements are illegal and criticized “the breadth of the court’s opinion,” which, it said, “will complicate efforts to resolve the conflict.”

We are joined today by Craig Mokhiber, an international human rights lawyer and activist, and a former senior United Nations human rights official. Craig served at the U.N. for over three decades, with postings in Switzerland, Palestine, Afghanistan, and New York, conducting numerous human rights missions across various continents. In October 2023, he left the U.N., criticizing the organization’s human rights failures regarding Israel’s actions to Gaza, warning of genocide in Gaza, and calling for a new approach to Palestine and Israel based on international law, human rights, and equality.

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