7 years since International Court of Justice ruling condemning Israeli seperation wall

Ma'an- PLO official Saeb Erekat urged the international community to abide by its commitment to international law on Saturday while marking the seventh anniversary of an International Court of Justice ruling condemning the Israeli separation wall.

“The recognition of the State of Palestine on the 1967 border embodies the spirit and legal principles of the ICJ Advisory Opinion,” Erekat said in a statement.

“The ICJ Advisory Opinion was clear: The Wall is unjustified, it is illegal, it violates the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination, and therefore, it must be dismantled.

“Unfortunately, seven years after the ICJ’s ruling, the construction of the Wall is almost complete in flagrant violation of international law and the will of the international community.

"In its effort to complete the Wall, Israel has continued with its illegal policy of home demolitions and land confiscations, resulting in untold hardships and the displacement and dispossession of thousands of our people.”

Erekat called on the international community to uphold the ICJ's ruling and assume its responsibility towards promoting peace.

The ICJ is an invaluable legal instrument in the struggle for Palestinian independence, he added.

“The recognition of the State of Palestine on the 1967 border embodies the spirit and legal principles of the ICJ Advisory Opinion. Now is the time for states to make the sovereign decision to recognize Palestine and stand on the right side of history,” he concluded. Read more