Dutch delegation at UN court criticizes Israel for annexing occupied Palestinian territories

By Nur Asena Erturk

ANKARA (AA) – The Netherlands on Tuesday accused Israel of annexing occupied Palestinian territories.

"No sovereignty can be established over occupied territory and occupied territory may not be annexed," a representative of the Dutch delegation, Professor Rene JM Lefeber told the International Court of Justice during the public hearings.

Lefeber further said that occupation, which is "an inherently temporary use of force," would qualify as "annexation" if it were to be permanent.

"An important provision under the law of occupation is that the occupying power shall not deport or transfer parts of his own civilian population into the territory it occupies," Lefeber added.

The Dutch representative also recalled that the right to self-determination is "a truly universal and continuing right."

"As a result, a state that occupies territory is under an obligation to respect and promote the right of self-determination of peoples residing in that territory," he added.

The Belgian delegation, for its part, stressed the importance of the right to self-determination, and legal expert Vaios Koutroulis said that Israel's settlement policy aims to alter the demographic composition of the occupied Palestinian territories and the territories' status itself.

Bangladesh's Ambassador to the Netherlands Riaz Hamidullah underscored the importance of the right to self-determination and called on Israel to withdraw its occupation forces, and dismantle “illegal structures such as settlements.”

“Israel must provide reparations for the damages caused, and guarantee non-repetition,” he added.

The public hearings started on Monday in the Hague following the UN General Assembly's request for an advisory opinion on the legal consequences arising from policies and practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.

South Africa, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands, Bangladesh, and Belgium presented their arguments in Tuesday's session.

South Africa brought a genocide case against Israel to the ICJ in late December and asked it for emergency measures to end the bloodshed in Gaza, where more than 29,000 Palestinians have been killed since Oct. 7.

The court in January ordered Israel to take "all measures within its power" to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza but fell short of ordering a cease-fire.

It also ordered Israel to take "immediate and effective" measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip.

A cross-border incursion by the Palestinian group, Hamas, on Oct. 7 killed an estimated 1,200 people, but the ensuing Israeli offensive into Gaza has pushed 85% of the territory's population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

Despite international outcry, Israel now plans a ground invasion of Rafah, which holds around 1.4 million refugees.