By Beyza Binnur Donmez
GENEVA (AA) - Spain on Friday welcomed the advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that termed Israel's occupation of Palestine as "unlawful."
"The ruling includes important pronouncements from the Court on the illegality of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and on settlements, among other aspects," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The ICJ opinion, in response to a 2022 request by the UN General Assembly, said Israel's occupation of East Jerusalem and the West Bank is "unlawful" and should be brought to an end "as rapidly as possible."
It said Israel should cease new settlement activities, and “evacuate all settlers from the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”
As many as 50 states, including Spain, and three international organizations had presented their views before the court in February.
The ministry urged the UN and the international community to "take into consideration the conclusions of the opinion and to adopt the appropriate measures in this regard."