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Israel's Netanyahu Says 'No One will Stop Us' in Gaza

Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Reuters
Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Reuters
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Israel's Netanyahu Says 'No One will Stop Us' in Gaza

Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Reuters
Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Reuters

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that no one would stop Israel from achieving victory in its war against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.

"No one will stop us -- not The Hague, not the Axis of Evil and no one else. It is possible and necessary to continue until victory and we will do it," Netanyahu told a televised press conference as the war in Gaza moves into its 100th day on Sunday.

He was referring to a case brought before the UN's top court, the International Court of Justice in The Hague, alleging Israel's offensive is in breach of the UN Genocide Convention, and an alliance of Iran-backed armed groups around the Middle East dubbed the Axis of Resistance.

He said the military assault in Gaza had already "eliminated most of the Hamas battalions" in the besieged Palestinian territory.

But he said that those displaced from northern Gaza would not be able to return to their homes any time soon.

"There is an international law and it says a simple thing -- you remove a population and you don't allow it to return as long as the danger exists," AFP quoted Netanyahu.

"And the danger exists. There is fighting there (in northern Gaza)."

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Arab World

UN Court Opinion Due on Occupied Palestinian Land

People in front of the Peace Palace ahead of a ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on a request from South Africa for emergency measures for Gaza, in The Hague, Netherlands, 26 January 2024. (EPA)
People in front of the Peace Palace ahead of a ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on a request from South Africa for emergency measures for Gaza, in The Hague, Netherlands, 26 January 2024. (EPA)
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UN Court Opinion Due on Occupied Palestinian Land

People in front of the Peace Palace ahead of a ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on a request from South Africa for emergency measures for Gaza, in The Hague, Netherlands, 26 January 2024. (EPA)
People in front of the Peace Palace ahead of a ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on a request from South Africa for emergency measures for Gaza, in The Hague, Netherlands, 26 January 2024. (EPA)

The UN's top court will on Friday hand down its view on the legal consequences of Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories since 1967, amid growing international pressure over the war in Gaza.
Any opinion delivered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) would be non-binding, but it comes amid mounting concern over Israel's war against Hamas sparked by the group's brutal October 7 attacks.
A separate high-profile case brought before the court by South Africa alleges that Israel has committed genocidal acts during its Gaza offensive.
Judges will read their findings at 1300 GMT at the opulent Peace Palace in The Hague, the home of the ICJ.
The UN's General Assembly asked the ICJ in late 2022 to give an "advisory opinion" on the "legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem".
The ICJ held a week-long session in February to hear submissions from countries following the request -- supported by most countries within the Assembly.
Most speakers too during the hearings called on Israel to end its 57-year occupation. They warned a prolonged occupation posed an "extreme danger" to stability in the Middle East and beyond.
But the United States said Israel should not be legally obliged to withdraw without taking its "very real security needs" into account.
Israel did not take part in the oral hearings.
Instead, it submitted a written contribution in which it described the questions the court had been asked as "prejudicial" and "tendentious".
'Ongoing violation'
The General Assembly has asked the ICJ to consider two questions.
Firstly, the court should examine the legal consequences of what the UN called "the ongoing violation by Israel of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination".
This relates to the "prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967" and "measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem".
In June 1967, Israel crushed some of its Arab neighbors in a six-day war, seizing the West Bank including east Jerusalem from Jordan, the Golan Heights from Syria, and the Gaza Strip and Sinai Peninsula from Egypt.
Israel then began to settle the 70,000 square kilometers (27,000 square miles) of seized Arab territory.
The UN later declared the occupation of Palestinian territory illegal, and Cairo regained Sinai under its 1979 peace deal with Israel.
The ICJ has also been asked to look into the consequences of what it described as Israel's "adoption of related discriminatory legislation and measures".
Secondly, the ICJ should advise on how Israel's actions "affect the legal status of the occupation" and what are the consequences for the UN and other countries.
The ICJ rules in disputes between states. Normally, its judgements are binding although it has little means to enforce them.
In this case however, the opinion it issues will be non-binding, although most advisory opinions are in fact acted upon.