The International Court of Justice (ICJ) began hearings on the legal status of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories on Monday.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki urged an immediate end to the occupation during the proceedings.
Over 50 states will present arguments until February 26, following a request from the U.N. General Assembly in 2022 for a non-binding opinion on the occupation.
Israeli leaders have long disputed that the territories are formally occupied on the basis that they were captured from Jordan and Egypt during a 1967 war rather than from a sovereign Palestine.
The hearings will continue until February 26, after which judges will deliberate before issuing an advisory opinion.
Israel has ignored such legal opinions in the past, but this one could increase political pressure over its war in Gaza, which has killed about 29,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials, since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7.
Among countries scheduled to participate in the hearings are the United States, China, Russia, South Africa and Egypt. Israel will not, although it has sent written observations.
The hearings come amid mounting concerns about an Israeli ground offensive against the Gaza city of Rafah, a last refuge for more than a million Palestinians after they fled to the south of the enclave to avoid Israeli assaults.
(Reuters)