Israel’s settlement policies violate international law, says International Court of Justice

International Court of Justice President Nawaf Salam was expected to take about an hour to read out the full opinion of the panel, which is made up of 15 judges from around the world.

In part of the opinion, he said the panel had found that "the transfer by Israel of settlers to the West Bank and Jerusalem as well as Israel's maintenance of their presence, is contrary to article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. The court also noted with grave concern that Israel's settlement policy has been expanding.

The court also found that Israel's use of natural resources was inconsistent with its obligations under international law as an occupying power.