Israel’s Netanyahu says UN vote for ICJ opinion ‘despicable’

ANKARA

New Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday termed a UN General Assembly vote seeking opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Israel’s occupation of Palestine as “despicable”.

"The Jewish people are not occupiers on their lands nor in our eternal capital Jerusalem and no UN resolution can wrap that historical truth," Netanyahu said in a video message.

On Saturday, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution seeking the ICJ opinion on the legal consequences of Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian territories.

The resolution was backed by 87 countries of the UN General Assembly members against 26 with 53 abstentions.

The resolution calls on the ICJ to determine the "legal consequences arising from the ongoing violation by Israel of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination" as well as of its measures "aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status" of the holy city of Jerusalem.

It also calls on the UN Secretary General to present a report on the implementation of the resolution in the upcoming session of the UN General Assembly in September 2023.

Around 666,000 settlers live in 145 settlements and 140 random outposts (not licensed by the Israeli government) in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, according to Israeli Peace Now NGO.

Under international law, all Jewish settlements in the occupied territories are considered illegal.