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RAMALLAH, West Bank, Dec 31 (Reuters) - Israel condemned and the Palestinians welcomed connected Saturday a United Nations General Assembly ballot asking the International Court of Justice to provide an opinion connected ineligible consequences of Israel's concern of the Palestinian territories.
The Friday ballot presents a situation for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who this week took bureau astatine the caput of a authorities which has acceptable colony enlargement arsenic a precedence and which includes parties who privation to annex West Bank onshore connected which they are built.
"The Jewish radical are not occupiers successful their ain onshore nor occupiers successful our eternal superior Jerusalem and nary U.N. solution tin distort that humanities truth," Netanyahu said successful a video message, adding that Israel was not bound by the "despicable decision."
Along with Gaza and East Jerusalem, the Palestinians question the occupied West Bank for a state. Most countries see Israel's settlements determination illegal, a presumption Israel disputes citing humanities and Biblical ties to the land.
The Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) besides known arsenic the World Court, is the apical U.N. tribunal dealing with disputes betwixt states. Its rulings are binding, though the ICJ has nary powerfulness to enforce them.
The U.N. General Assembly asked the ICJ to springiness an advisory sentiment connected the ineligible consequences of Israel's "occupation, colony and annexation ... including measures aimed astatine altering the demographic composition, quality and presumption of the Holy City of Jerusalem."
Members of Netanyahu's caller authorities person pledged to bolster settlements with improvement plans, budgets and authorisation of dozens of outposts built without permits.
The furniture includes recently created posts and restructured roles that assistance immoderate of those powers to pro-settler conjugation partners, who yet purpose to widen Israeli sovereignty to the West Bank.
Netanyahu, however, has fixed nary denotation of immoderate imminent steps to annex the settlements, a determination that would apt shingle up its relations with Western and Arab allies alike.
The Palestinians welcomed the U.N. ballot successful which 87 members voted successful favour of adopting the request; Israel, the United States and 24 different members voted against; and 53 abstained.
"The clip has travel for Israel to beryllium a authorities taxable to law, and to beryllium held accountable for its ongoing crimes against our people," said Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesperson for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, whose Palestinian Authority has constricted self-rule successful the West Bank.
Basem Naim, an authoritative with Hamas, the Islamist militant radical that controls Gaza, said it was "an important measurement toward confining and isolating the authorities of concern (Israel)."
Writing by Maayan Lubell; Editing by Kim Coghill and Frances Kerry
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