Ariel Kahana
JNS, Nov. 13, 2022
“The Palestinian appeal to the ICJ is a desperate step taken by Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas and his people in order to internationalize the conflict.”
The Hague houses both the International Criminal Court, which is seated in a standard office building and has been a source of worry for Israeli leaders for a decade, as well as the International Court of Justice, which is located not far away in the magnificent century-old Peace Palace and is expected to be a source of trouble for Israel in the coming years.
The worst-case scenario—a future declaration by the ICJ stating that Judea and Samaria are being annexed—will not be a blow to Israel, but a headache at most. The countries that are already hostile to the Jewish state do not need a court to justify their approach. Similarly, the states that understand the situation or support Israel will not change their policies because of a political opinion disguised as international law. There have been plenty of these over the years, and we are still standing.
Saturday’s vote at the United Nations makes it clear who is on our side and who is against us. Sixty-nine countries opposed the measure, which is not a few. These include the United States, Germany, Canada and Australia, where left-wing governments have been in power in recent years. Italy stood by us for the first time as well, as did others.
Most other Western countries abstained. Those who supported the Palestinians were mostly Arab, Muslim, or African countries, with one notable exception: Ukraine, which continues to put sticks in our wheels at the United Nations while asking Israel for favors in reality. Strange. … [To read the full article, click here]
