The Palestinian Authority (PA) officials’ VIP cards have been revoked as part of a package of sanctions being prepared by the new Israeli government against the Palestinians.
The UN on Friday approved a resolution asking the International Court of Justice to review Israel’s “annexation” policies and the “legal status of the occupation,” and in response, sanctions against Israel are now being planned. ”
Senior PA officials can easily travel through Ben Gurion Airport, enter Israeli cities, and pass through checkpoints thanks to the VIP cars.
Wives, kids, and bodyguards of PA officials who possess Israeli VIP cards can enter Israel through the Separation Wall gates and travel to Jerusalem without being stopped.
According to Israeli sources, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, Yoav Galant, Israel’s defense minister, and Eli Cohen, Israel’s foreign minister, will decide on the sanctions against the Palestinians in consultation with others.
In a resolution passed on Friday, the UN General Assembly asked the International Court of Justice to weigh in on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israeli “annexation,” and the “legal status of the occupation.”
The Palestinian Authority (PA) sponsored the resolution, which was approved by a vote of 87 in favor, 26 against, and 53 abstentions. Its title is “Israeli practices and settlement activities affecting the rights of the Palestinian people and other Arabs of the occupied territories.”.
It requests that the ICJ “render urgently an advisory opinion” regarding Israel’s “prolonged occupation, settlement, and annexation of Palestinian territory.”
The UN Resolution
A resolution asking the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for guidance on the legal ramifications of Israel’s illegitimate occupation of Palestinian territories was approved by the UN General Assembly on Saturday, according to Anadolu.
In the resolution, the ICJ is tasked with determining the “legal ramifications” of Israel’s ongoing violations of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and of its actions “aimed at changing the demographic composition, character, and status” of the holy city of Jerusalem.
Additionally, it requests that the UN Secretary General report to the UN General Assembly in September 2023 on the implementation of the resolution.
Riyad Mansour, the representative of Palestine at the UN, praised the nations that supported the resolution and weren’t “deterred by threats and pressure.”
“This vote comes one day after the new Israeli government was formed pledging to quicken colonial and racist policies against the Palestinian people,” Mansour said.
The Palestinian Authority, which has its headquarters in Ramallah, applauded the UNGA resolution.
According to PA spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh, “the time has come for Israel to be a state subject to law and to be held accountable for its ongoing crimes against our people.”.
Israeli Peace Now NGO estimates that 666,000 settlers reside in 145 settlements and 140 haphazard outposts (not authorized by the Israeli government) in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
All Jewish settlements in the occupied territories are prohibited by international law.
