EU criticizes Israeli PM for distorting history, court ruling

The Netanyahu government rejected that. The final verdict International Court of Justice on the illegality of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian West Bank.

“You can interpret history the way you want, but international law must be respected,” Borrell said. The International Court of Justice has ruled that “the occupation of Palestinian territory in the West Bank is absolutely illegal and must stop.”

Borrell stressed the clear message from the International Court of Justice, “the highest court of the United Nations.” He criticized political reluctance to implement the advice and expressed his regret over the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, including “nearly 40,000 dead and 17,000 orphans.”

Borrell said it would take ten years to rebuild Gaza. A ceasefire proposed by US President Joe Biden has not yet been implemented due to Netanyahu’s unwillingness to commit to all issues, including Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza. The EU will discuss possible measures during the meeting.

The International Court of Justice ruled on Friday that Israel must end its occupation of Palestinian territory “as soon as possible” and called on Tel Aviv to pay full reparations for its “internationally illegal actions.” The court found multiple violations of international law by Israel, including activities that amounted to apartheid.

Netanyahu stated in X that Jews are said to be above the law.“The Jewish people are not occupiers in their own lands, including Jerusalem and the West Bank, our historic homeland.” The Israeli Foreign Ministry called the court’s ruling “fundamentally wrong.”

More than 39,100 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October, according to local health authorities. Israel is facing genocide charges at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operations in Rafah.