Summary of the ICJ’s Advisory Opinion of 19 July 2024
29 July 2024
On 19 July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) rendered its advisory opinion on the Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.
The Court reached the following momentous conclusions:
- Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) is unlawful.
- Israel is under an obligation to bring to an end its unlawful presence in the oPt as rapidly as possible.
- Israel is under an obligation to cease immediately all new settlement activities, and to evacuate all settlers from the oPt.
- Israel has an obligation to make reparation for the damage caused to all natural or legal persons concerned in the oPt.
- All States are under an obligation not to recognise as legal the situation arising from Israel’s unlawful presence in the oPt and not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by Israel’s continued presence in the oPt, while cooperating to bring an end to the violations identified.
- International organisations, including the UN, are under an obligation not to recognise as legal the situation arising from the unlawful presence of the State of Israel in the oPt.
- The UN, and especially the General Assembly, which requested the opinion, and the Security Council, should consider the precise modalities and further action required to bring to an end as rapidly as possible the unlawful presence of Israel in the oPt.
This note aims to provide a summary of the Advisory Opinion with a view to explaining the reasoning that led the Court to formulate these conclusions. The note also examines some of the points raised in seven declarations made by judges on the panel, as well as in two joint opinions and five separate opinions they provided.
All publications on the advisory proceedings are listed here, and a research page on legal proceedings relating to Israel and the oPt can be found here.
COVER PHOTO: Members of the Court on 19 July 2024 (delivery of the Advisory Opinion of the Court). UN Photo/ICJ-CIJ/Frank van Beek. Courtesy of the ICJ. All rights reserved.