Israel in the Palestinian territories: occupation or already annexation? – Politics

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has only been back in office for a few days when he is already threatened with a new long-term dispute at the international level. The reason is a resolution of the UN General Assembly, in which the International Court of Justice in The Hague is asked to investigate the Israeli occupation policy in the Palestinian territories. Netanyahu and with him large sections of Israeli politics are outraged. The head of government complained that this was a “disgraceful step”. Israel will in no way feel bound by this.

The decision in New York was made with 87 yes votes. 26 countries voted against, including Israel, the USA and Germany, 53 abstained. The legal opinion of the Hague judges, who are responsible for conflicts between states and who declared the construction of the West Bank barrier on occupied territory illegal as early as 2004, is not expected for another year or two. It is not binding, but is likely to exert political pressure. Israel is already being accused of “apartheid” policies by the Palestinians and by human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

Israel conquered the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War. More than 600,000 Israeli settlers now live there. The 15-strong panel of judges is now to examine whether the occupation, which has lasted for more than 55 years, is still of a temporary nature or whether it has in fact already amounted to an annexation, which is illegal under international law.

Large sums for settlement construction

Beyond all the excitement about the UN resolution, Israel’s government itself openly admits that it does not want to withdraw from the West Bank, but claims the area for itself. In the guidelines of the coalition sworn in last week, the “sole and inalienable right of the Jewish people to all parts of the Land of Israel” is emphasized. This also includes “Judea and Samaria”, as the West Bank is called in the Bible.

The coalition agreements also explicitly provide for a policy that should enable the annexation of parts of the West Bank. In addition, large sums are earmarked for infrastructure measures specifically for settlement construction. Netanyahu rejected the result of the UN vote with the sentence: “The Jewish people do not occupy their own country nor their eternal capital Jerusalem.”

In view of the peace process that has been blocked for years, the Palestinian Authority has been trying for years to bring the conflict with Israel before international bodies. The decision of the UN General Assembly has now been rated as a “historic success and diplomatic victory” by the Foreign Ministry in Ramallah. A spokesman for President Mahmoud Abbas said it was “time for Israel to be held accountable for its continued crimes against our people.”

But even in Israel’s government, after the UN vote, reference is made to a success. Because the number of 87 yes votes does not even correspond to half of all 193 members of the United Nations. In a previous vote on the same topic, 98 yes votes had been counted. Netanyahu is now claiming the merits for this. “I have spoken to many world leaders,” he explained. “The result of this is that they have changed their voting behavior.”

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