Turkey tells World Court that ‘deepening occupation’ is root cause of Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Turkey’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmet Yildiz tells judges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that Israeli “occupation” of Palestinian territories is the root cause of conflict in the region.

“The unfolding situation after October 7 proves once again that, without addressing the root cause of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, there can be no peace in the region,” he says on the sixth day of hearings.

“The real obstacle to peace is obvious. The deepening occupation by Israel of the Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, and failure to implement the two-state vision,” he adds.

The UN’s top court, also known as the World Court, is hearing arguments from more than 50 states following a request by the UN General Assembly in 2022 that it issue a non-binding opinion on the legal consequences of Israel’s presence in the West Bank.