FALCON POWERS – FALThe decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague has caused a state of terror in Israel, in addition to severely damaging its image. It may even lead to the imposition of sanctions and calls for the prosecution of senior Israeli officials, according to the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.
Despite the massive human and material losses due to the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip for the past ten months, the Al-Aqsa Uprising has restored the prominence of the Palestinian cause, which had waned in favor of normalization plans between the Arabs and the Israeli occupation.
The bottom line is that the Palestinians emerged victorious, and they had the upper hand after the court ruled that Israel must withdraw from the West Bank and East Jerusalem as soon as possible. The court even said that Israel must evacuate all settlers from East Jerusalem, who, from Israel’s perspective, are no different from those in Tel Aviv or Haifa.
Furthermore, the court requested that the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council take a decision on the means to end the Israeli occupation as soon as possible. However, Israel is betting that the United States will use its veto power in the Security Council.
In addition to the need to evacuate the occupied territories, the court accused Israel of racial discrimination and apartheid between Palestinians and Jews, specifically mentioning the crime of apartheid, which is a very serious offense under international law. The court also called on all UN member states to cooperate in the implementation of the decision, not to recognize the changes made by Israel in the Palestinian territories, and not to assist it. Accordingly, Israel is required to return the lands and properties, as well as pay compensation to the Palestinians.
The newspaper comments on the court’s decision, stating that “it will certainly cause severe damage to Israel’s image. Furthermore, it is expected that different countries will interpret the decision in their own way, and we may also see sanctions accordingly.”
