In this news article from Reuters, “The World Court, the United Nations’ highest court, said on Friday that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and settlements there is illegal and should be withdrawn as soon as possible, in its strongest findings to date on the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

“The advisory opinion by judges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), known as the World Court, was not binding but carries weight under international law and may weaken support for Israel.

“‘Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and the regime associated with them, have been established and are being maintained in violation of international law,’ President Nawaf Salam said, reading the findings of a 15-judge panel.

“The court said Israel’s obligations include paying restitution for harm and ‘the evacuation of all settlers from existing settlements’.
In a swift reaction, Israel’s foreign ministry rejected the opinion as ‘fundamentally wrong’ and one-sided, and repeated its stance that a political settlement in the region can only be reached by negotiations.

“‘The Jewish nation cannot be an occupier in its own land,’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement. Israel Gantz, head of the Binyamin Regional Council, one of the largest settler councils, said the ICJ opinion was ‘contrary to the Bible, morality, and international law’.

“The ICJ opinion also found that the U.N. Security Council, the General Assembly and all states have an obligation not to recognize the occupation as legal nor “render aid or assistance” toward maintaining Israel’s presence in the occupied territories.”

Reuters also has an article about the connections between the West Bank settlements and the Republican Party: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-settlers-court-republican-religious-right-after-hamas-attacks-2024-07-20/