Very existence of Palestinian people 'at stake,' Colombian representative tells top UN court

By Nur Asena Erturk

The very existence of the Palestinian people is "at stake," Colombia's representative on Wednesday told the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague.

"Israel's prolonged occupation, and further annexation of the Palestinian territory is a manifest violation of the rule of international customary law which clearly prohibits the acquisition of territory by force," Andrea Jimenez Herrera said on the third day of the public hearings.

"Ultimately, what is at stake here is ensuring the safety and indeed the very existence of the Palestinian people," she further said, and added that Israel is "bound to put an end to the prolonged occupation, settlement, and annexation of the Palestinian territory. It must do so unconditionally, immediately, and completely."

She also called on Israel to "offer appropriate assurances and guarantees of non-repetition" of its wrongful acts.

"Moreover, Israel must make reparations for the damage caused," Andrea Jimenez Herrera underscored.

- 'Low-intensity genocide'

Cuba's representative, Deputy Foreign Minister Anayansi Rodriguez Camejo, like other representatives said during the previous hearings, put an emphasis on Palestinians' right to self-determination, and on Israel's policies, as well as the settlements in the occupied territories that undermine that right.

"This is indeed an act of low-intensity genocide that is perpetrated with systematic and effective cruelty," she stressed.

The Cuban representative also criticized some countries for "complicity" with Israel in its policies, and hinder the international community from preventing a genocide of the Palestinian people.

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 practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.

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 houses around 1.4 million refugees.