ISTANBUL

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Friday gave the Arab League the green light to join advisory proceedings over Israel’s obligations on the presence and activities of the UN, international organizations, and third states in the occupied Palestinian territory.

ICJ Judge Julia Sebutinde, also the court’s vice-president but acting as president, ruled that the league is “likely to be able to furnish information” relevant to the legal question submitted to the court by the UN General Assembly.

The league has been granted permission to submit a written statement by Feb. 28 in accordance with its procedural order issued last December.

The case seeks the court’s advisory opinion on Israel’s responsibilities under international law concerning its governance of the occupied territories and the role of international actors in the region.

The proceedings follow previous ICJ rulings and requests related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Further procedural steps in the case will be determined at a later stage.

The ICJ, the UN’ principal judicial organ, was established in 1945 to settle disputes between states and provide advisory opinions on legal questions referred by UN bodies. Composed of 15 judges elected by the General Assembly and Security Council, the court is based in The Hague.