Tunisia, Sudan stresses importance of UN court’s advisory opinion on Israeli occupation

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) - Tunisia and Sudan on Friday stressed the importance of the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the consequences of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

Representatives from both countries took part in the fifth day of public hearing sessions at the world court.

Tunisia's representative Slim Laghmani stressed that Israel "brutally and systematically" threatens the rules of the international law and commits crimes aimed at destroying Palestinians as an entire people.

Laghmani urged the UN's General Assembly and Security Council to work on ending the Israeli occupation and violations on Palestinian territories.

Meanwhile, Sudan's representative affirmed that the ICJ's advisory opinion should "convey a definitive message to both Israel and Palestine that they need to redouble their efforts to achieve peace and security."

The representative said Israel not cooperating with the ICJ's proceedings should not impede the court's decision.

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

More than 50 countries are presenting arguments.

Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas. The ensuing Israeli war has killed more than 29,500 people and caused mass destruction and shortages of necessities. Nearly 70,000 people have been injured.

Less than 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack while over 200 were taken back to Gaza as hostages.

The Israeli war on 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.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

Hostilities have continued unabated, however, and aid deliveries remain woefully insufficient to address the humanitarian catastrophe.