President Muizzu calls on Israel to end unlawful settlement policies

Maldivian President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, on Friday, has called upon Israel to immediately end its unlawful settlement policies in the occupied Palestinian territories.

He made the call in a post on X welcoming the Advisory Opinion rendered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Friday, in respect of the legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.

In his post, President Muizzu said the Court attests to the aspirations of the Palestinian people embedded in their rightful pursuit of statehood and self-determination by recognizing the continued illegal presence of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territories as a violation of international humanitarian law.

He also called on Israel to immediately end its unlawful settlement policies and make reparations for the damage incurred as a result of its exploitative and discriminative actions.

He concluded the post by stating Maldives sets renewed hope for a sovereign and independent State of Palestine, in line with the pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital with Friday’s ICJ ruling.

ICJ’s landmark ruling found Israel’s decades-long occupation of the Palestinian territories illegal and called to end the occupation as rapidly as possible.

In a 12-3 judgment, the Cout said Israel’s “exploitation of natural resources” in occupied Palestinian territory is "inconsistent with its obligation” to respect Palestinians' right to sovereignty.