The United Nations top court announced the decision on Friday concerning the 230-plus settlements that have been built in the West Bank, including East al-Quds, since the regime’s occupation of the Palestinian territory in 1967.
The court noted that the construction and existence of the structures on the territory amounted to its "de facto annexation" as well as possible "discrimination and apartheid."
Though non-binding and of simply advisory nature, the court’s recommendations mount further legal pressure on the occupying entity, and are hoped by Palestinians and its supporters to be adopted by the UN General Assembly and Security Council.
The following is the list of the countries, movements and political figures who welcomed the decision of the United Nations’ top court to rule Israel’s presence in the 1967-occupied Palestinian territories as “unlawful”.
Saudi Arabia:
The Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement that the country welcomed the advisory decision by the International Court of Justice and stressed the illegality of Israel's presence in the occupied Palestinian territories since 57 years ago.
EU's Borrell
The United Nation's top court ruled that Israel's 57-year occupation of Palestinian land is illegal, a decision that aligns closely with European Union (EU) positions, said the EU's bloc’s Foreign Policy chief, Josep Borrell.
Borrell stated that the EU had taken "good note" of the court's decision and called for further support for the ICJ's opinion.
"In a world of constant and increasing violations of international law, it is our moral duty to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to all ICJ decisions in a consistent manner, irrespective of the subject in question," he said, according to Middle East Eye.
Borrell added that the opinion "will need to be analyzed more thoroughly, including its implications for EU policy."
Hamas
The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas said the decision “affirmed the illegitimacy of the Zionist occupation and the need to end it.”
“We call on the international community to embrace these decisions, bypass the American will [to protect the regime against such decisions], and work to compel the fascist occupation to implement them and comply immediately,” it added.
Egypt
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on Israel to end the occupation promptly, halt any new settlement activities and evacuate all existing settlements.
The ministry also urged international parties “to respect and implement the ICJ’s advisory opinion, assist the Palestinian people in exercising their right to self-determination and work to end the humanitarian suffering they endure”.
Qatar
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the ICJ ruling “reflects the high provisions of international law that must be respected”.
It reiterated Qatar’s “firm position on the justice of the Palestinian cause and the moral imperative to support the legitimate rights of the brotherly Palestinian people”.
South Africa
Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola said the ruling “affirms South Africa’s long-standing position that the occupation by Israel of Palestinian territory remains unlawful under international law”.
“There is now an additional legal obligation for all states to end complicity in Israel’s illegal actions and to act to ensure respect for international law,” he said in a statement.
Turkey
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the international community “is obliged to take a firm and resolute stance to put an end to Israel’s illegal practices”.
Kuwait
The Kuwait's Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on the international community to carry out its “legal, political and moral duties to achieve the aspirations of the brotherly Palestinian people to establish their independent state and to stop the aggression against Gaza“.
Brazil
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the ruling “reinforces the need for a two-state solution, with an independent and viable state of Palestine living side by side with Israel, in peace and security, within the 1967 borders, which include the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, with East Jerusalem as its capital”.
Bolivia
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on the UN and its member states to “take appropriate measures to stop the crimes being committed in the Gaza Strip and guarantee Palestine’s right to self-determination”.
Bolivia cut ties with Israel in the early days of the war and later became the first Latin American country to back a separate genocide case brought against Israel by South Africa at the ICJ.
Australia
The government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it respects the ICJ’s “role in upholding international law and the rules-based order”.
“We want to see concrete steps taken by Israel to cease the expansion of settlements to respond to extremist activity,” the government said in a statement, adding that it was still “carefully considering the detail” of the ruling.
Belgium
Minister of Foreign Affairs Hadja Lahbib said in a social media post: “Belgium will always stand up for the respect of international law.”
Indonesia
The Southeast Asian country said the ruling “addressed the aspiration of Indonesia and the rest of the international community in delivering justice for the Palestinians”.
“Indonesia calls on the UN General Assembly and the Security Council to meet the request of the court by considering appropriate means and necessary steps to end Israel’s unlawful presence in Palestine,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
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