Palestine files declaration recognizing competence of ICJ

By Aysu Bicer

LONDON (AA) - Palestine on Monday formally recognized the competence of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) by filing a declaration in the Registry of the Court.

With the declaration, Palestine accepted, with immediate effect, the top UN court's authority to settle all disputes related to Article 9 of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, to which Palestine became a party on April 2, 2014, the statement said.

This move aligns with the provisions of Security Council Resolution 9 (1946).

According to the resolution, the ICJ is accessible to any state not party to the court's statute, provided that the state deposits a declaration with the ICJ's registrar.

The declaration requires acceptance of the court's jurisdiction and a commitment to comply with the ICJ decisions in good faith and all obligations of a UN member under Article 94 of the United Nations Charter.