Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem – areas of historic Palestine that the Palestinians want to create a state – in the 1967 war. It withdrew from Gaza in 2005, but, along with neighboring Egypt, still controls its borders.
This is the second time the UN General Assembly has sought an advisory opinion from the ICJ, also known as the World Court, related to the occupied Palestinian territory. In July 2004, the court found that Israel’s separation wall in the West Bank violates international law and must be destroyed, although it still stands today.
The judges are now asked to review Israel’s “occupation, settlement and annexation … including measures aimed at changing the demographic structure, character and status of the holy city of Jerusalem and the adoption of related discriminatory legislation and measures “
