Dr. Munir Nuseibah:

First, I want to mention one more case that is very relevant and important, which Ireland should look at. I refer to the case of Nicaragua v. Germany. It is covered much less in the media so many people do not know much about it but it is very relevant to this discussion. Nicaragua filed a case in the ICJ against Germany a year ago in which it argues that by supporting Israel during a time of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and other violations of international humanitarian law, Germany must be held liable for that contribution. This is an important case because it is not about Israel but about Germany. It is about the German contribution to crimes on the basis of the relationship that Germany has with Israel. Of course, there is no decision yet. We will have to wait for a few years for that decision but it is my expectation that the court will find Germany liable for a number of acts it has done to support Israel, because of Israel's violations. That is important to take into account when considering Ireland's responsibility.

Regarding the advisory opinion, it was requested from the UN General Assembly. The question was, first, about the consequences of the continued Israeli occupation of the occupied Palestinian territory, including the settlement building and other measures that Israel is taking in the occupied territory. The question was also about the discriminatory measures that Israel is taking against the Palestinian people. After deliberations in the court, which was the biggest case in terms of state contributions to the court's deliberations, the court found that the ongoing Israeli presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is contrary to international law for several reasons. On the one hand, it violates the Palestinian right to self-determination on a basis that is intended to be permanent through the colonisation of the occupied Palestinian territory, the forcible displacement and many other ongoing violations. In addition, the court found that Israel is breaching Article 3 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, CERD, which prohibits racial segregation and apartheid. Basically, the court has also found that an apartheid regime is being implemented, at least within the occupied Palestinian territory. At the end of this advisory opinion, the court established the responsibilities. On the one hand, there is the responsibility of Israel to end the occupation and, on the other hand, there is responsibility of every country around the world not to support and also to prevent these crimes from being committed.