A Legal and Political Reading of the International Court of Justice's Advisory Opinion on the Nature of the Israeli Occupation of the Palestinian Territories Occupied in 1967

Introduction

Since the advisory opinion determines the legal consequences arising from Israel's continued violation of the Palestinian people's right to self-determination, its long-term occupation, and its settlement and annexation of Palestinian territories without any legal basis, relying on discriminatory legislation and measures that further compound the suffering of the Palestinian people — such that this opinion will have a major legal impact on the people of Jerusalem in particular, and the Palestinian people in general — this ruling and advisory opinion carries great importance in the context of confronting Israeli measures and practices that violate the rules of international law.

The importance of the advisory opinion — issued by the International Court of Justice on July 19, 2024 — lies in placing Israel and its supporters in a closed corner, as the ruling affirmed the illegality of the continued Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, making it a legal and political tool for consolidating the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people and their self-determination, based on the international advisory opinion that placed the world, the international community, and international organizations before their responsibilities toward Israel's continuing illegal practices and violations in the Palestinian territories. This advisory opinion is considered an extremely important legal and political document, enabling the Palestinian people to benefit from it politically and legally in a way that strengthens the state of political and legal engagement in international legal forums.

From this standpoint came the first issue of Strategic Readings, to present a legal and political reading of the International Court of Justice's advisory opinion on the illegality of the continued Israeli occupation of the territories occupied in 1967, through a legal reading by the Iraqi academic Dr. Kholoud Al-Obaidi, a researcher in international law and international relations, and a political reading by the Palestinian researcher Dr. Mansour Abu Kareem, a researcher in political affairs and international relations, in order to maximize the benefit from this historic ruling, in a way that contributes to the implementation of the Palestinian people's right to self-determination and the establishment of the Palestinian state on the 1967 borders.