An analysis in Newsweek cites German Member of European Parliament Lars Patrick Berg about a request by the United Nations’ for an opinion by the International Court of Justice now on “the legal status of the occupation”. The article is authored by international security expert Aynur Bashirova. She is the European desk coordinator of the Israel-based Heartland Initiative and sits on the Diplomatic Council of the European Jewish Association. She is a PhD researcher at the University of Brussels’ international politics department specializing in Israeli foreign policy in Eurasia.
As background, she higlights the following:
“The UN’s vulnerability to being exploited by dictators and human rights abusers is no secret. According to think tank Freedom House, only a minority of the UN Human Rights Council are genuinely “free.” The UN human rights body includes, among its members, many of the world’s most notorious violators of human rights: Saudi Arabia, China, Egypt, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cuba, Bahrain, Eritrea, and Somalia—many of which also have appalling records on antisemitism.”
The resolution, approved by the United Nations General Assembly, by a majority of 87 in favour, 26 against, with 53 abstentions, carries the title “Israeli practices and settlement activities affecting the rights of the Palestinian people and other Arabs of the occupied territories”. It urges ICJ to “render urgently an advisory opinion” on Israel’s “prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation of Palestinian territory.”
#UN asks world court to weigh in on Israeli ‘occupation’ and ‘annexation’ #Israel #Palestinians https://t.co/Un8GQ5IIa7 via @timesofisrael pic.twitter.com/lFIdEoFhXV
— Eli Dror (@edrormba) December 31, 2022
The Newsweek piece quotes MEP Berg warning that “the lawsuit could encourage parties in other regions to resurrect colonial-era treaties to undermine state sovereignty. This poses a real risk to Israel, given that TPLF might provide a new route for antisemites to raise funds for lawsuits that challenge Israeli sovereignty based on the biased findings of the UN’s top court.”
In conclusion, Bashirova writes:
“The next frontline in the Middle East is not about terrorism—but about law. While Israel has long prided itself on its world class military and amazing cyber-offensive capabilities, the new array of potential legal challenges will require its lawyers to prepare for the next wave of legal attacks on Israel’s right to exist.
This will be done in the name of defending ‘human rights’ and combating “discrimination.” But make no mistake: The real goal is to destroy the Jewish state.”