"The International Court of Justice on Wednesday announced the timeline for the start of its probe into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, indicating that the process harshly opposed by Israel is moving forward apace.
The Hague-based ICJ said the court had decided that the UN, its member states and the Palestinians are ‘likely to be able to furnish information’ on the probe into Israel.
The court set a July 25 deadline for submitting written statements on the case, and an October deadline for comments on those statements.
The rest of the timeline has not been determined, the court said.
Late last month the court confirmed it had received the UN General Assembly’s formal request to weigh in on the conflict, but had not yet indicated that it was moving forward with the probe or any specifics on the process...
The General Assembly in December passed a resolution pushed by the Palestinians asking the court for an ‘advisory opinion’ on Israel’s ‘prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation of Palestinian territory.’ It also called for an investigation into Israeli measures ‘aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem’ and charged that Israel has adopted ‘discriminatory legislation and measures.’...
Israel denounced the General Assembly world court resolution, with Israeli envoy to the UN Gilad Erdan calling the vote a ‘moral stain’ on the world body. He argued at the time that the vote delegitimizes and demonizes Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slammed the General Assembly over the resolution, accusing the global body of ‘distorting historical facts’ and declaring that the Jewish people cannot be ‘an occupier’ in its own land..."