Christian Declaration Supports Israel at ICJ

On Friday 19th July, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is due to issue an advisory opinion regarding the legal ramifications of Israel’s occupation of the area widely known as the West Bank. The court was asked for this opinion by the United Nations General Assembly.

Advisory opinions of the ICJ are not binding but carry weight in international affairs. This one could have a significant impact upon support for Israel because there are laws that govern the occupation of territory, which are intended to protect the civilian population.

Israel has said it does not recognise ‘the legitimacy of the discussion’ at the ICJ. It views the process as ‘part of the Palestinian attempt to dictate the results of the political settlement without negotiations’. Israel’s preferred approach is for a negotiated settlement.

Around 52 countries have presented opinions to the ICJ, most claiming that Israel’s occupation is illegal and asking the court to declare it as such. Even the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was allowed to express its views, while Christian organisations were not.

Consequently, Christians organised a conference in The Hague earlier this month, which was attended by 800 people from 45 countries. Participants signed a declaration supporting Israel’s right to occupy its historic homeland, including the West Bank (Judea and Samaria), and expressed their opposition to any partition of the area. That declaration was then delivered to the ICJ’s registrar by hand.

Following a vote in Israel’s Knesset overwhelmingly rejecting the idea of a Palestinian state, ILTV News interviewed Nitzana Darshan-Leitner, President of Shurat HaDin – a centre dedicated to taking legal action to protect and defend the State of Israel and its citizens.

She says the Knesset decision was right because of what Israel has experienced following the Oslo Accords, paying a very high price with more than 1,500 people killed and many thousands injured. Israelis now realise that if you give independent sovereignty to a terror organisation you will receive a terror state, and they are determined not to reward Hamas for the October 7th massacre.