ICJ sips espresso while Tel Aviv coffee shops burn: A tale of legal myopia - comment

Picture this: A judge in The Hague, sipping coffee and flipping through a stack of documents, while a Yemeni Houthi drone crashes into a Tel Aviv building, killing an Israeli citizen and injuring 10. On Friday morning, as these judges sipped their espressos, in a serene environment ahead of a futile hearing, Lebanon launched missiles toward Israeli towns, and Hamas persisted in concealing 120 Israeli hostages within their underground tunnels. Coffee shops in Tel Aviv were closed due to the terror threat.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem illegal under international law. ICJ judges, do you realize that you are supporting a terrorist organization with this ruling?

Let’s start with the glaring omissions. The ICJ conveniently forgets the the historical and legal mess that is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The West Bank and east Jerusalem, captured by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War – a defensive war – were never sovereign Palestinian territories. But why bother with such details when you can make sweeping declarations from the comfort of The Hague? Do you prefer your judgments to be based on convenience rather than facts?

The ICJ also seems to have a selective memory regarding security concerns. Israeli settlements act as crucial buffers against the kind of aggressions that tend to happen when your neighbors aren’t exactly sending you fruit baskets. Judea and Samaria have been breeding grounds for terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians.

Suggesting that Israel dismantle these settlements without any security guarantees is like telling someone to remove a bulletproof vest in the middle of a shootout. Do you believe Israel should compromise its security for a romantic fantasy?

And then there’s the historical connection. Jewish ties to east Jerusalem, home to the holiest sites in Judaism, date back thousands of years. But the ICJ waves this off as if it’s an annoying pop-up ad. Reducing millennia of Jewish presence to a mere political squabble is an insult to history and common sense. Are you seriously that dismissive of a people’s ancient heritage?

Why is the ICJ making its opinion known now?

The timing of this ICJ declaration is as impeccable as ever. Made amid heightened tensions, it’s almost as if the court wanted to pour gasoline on a fire. Are you deliberately trying to escalate the situation?

Israel is condemned by UN bodies more often than a bad restaurant on Yelp. This consistent targeting of the Jewish state undermines the credibility of the UN and, by extension, the ICJ. But who needs credibility when you have politics? Do you enjoy turning severe legal matters into a circus?

The ICJ’s ruling is just the latest example of the Western world’s favorite pastime: abandoning Israel when it’s most convenient.

During the 1973 Yom Kippur War, Western nations took their sweet time sending support while Israel faced coordinated attacks. It was only after significant casualties that aid finally arrived. Is it acceptable to delay the necessary aid until after so much damage is done?

Then, in 2015, the West couldn’t sign the Iran nuclear deal fast enough, ignoring Israel’s legitimate security concerns. They prioritized appeasement over real threats to Israel’s existence – what could go wrong? Are you comfortable with empowering regimes that openly call for Israel’s destruction?

The 2016 UN Security Council Resolution 2334 was another classic example. The Obama administration’s abstention from a resolution declaring Israeli settlements a violation of international law was another instance where political convenience triumphed over standing by your allies.

Do you believe that abandoning allies is a sound strategy?

And who can forget the Durban Conference in 2001? What was supposed to be a conference on racism turned into an Israel-bashing fest, with Western countries doing little to stop the madness. It set the stage for the one-sided judgment we see today from the ICJ. Do you condone such biased spectacles under the guise of international diplomacy?

These examples show a disturbing trend: when the political winds change, the West is quick to throw Israel under the bus, prioritizing short-term gains over a balanced approach to Middle Eastern peace and security. Do you not see the dangerous precedent this sets for global diplomacy?

The ICJ’s advisory opinion on Israeli settlements is less about law and more about politics. It dismisses the historical, security, and legal complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, reinforcing international biases against Israel.

True peace requires direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, free from external pressures and biased judicial opinions. Until that happens, we can expect more of the same from the ICJ and its ilk.