A United Nations committee has approved a resolution to request the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to «urgently» assess Israel’s prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation of Palestinian territory.
The UN General Assembly’s Fourth Committee voted Thursday in favor of the measure, called «Israeli practices and settlement activities affecting the rights of the Palestinian people and other Arabs of the occupied territories,» by a margin of 98 in favor, 17 against and 52 abstentions, The Times of Israel reported Friday.
The text also states that the ICC must investigate Israeli measures «aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem», as well as «discriminatory legislation and measures» against the Palestinian people.
«The lies and hypocrisy of the Palestinians know no bounds: they are the ones who have rejected every peace initiative or peace plan from 1947 until today and now use the excuse that the conflict has not been resolved to go to the Court in The Hague?» the Israeli ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, said during the session, as posted Friday on his Twitter profile.
