Zambia has made some oral submissions at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague, Netherlands.

The submissions have been made by Solicitor General, Marshal Muchende before a panel of fifteen (15) judges, following a request for an Advisory Opinion by the United Nations General Assembly, concerning the legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem.

Mr. Muchende has called on both Israel and Palestine to respect international human rights law and international humanitarian law, adding that any recourse to the conflict should not be one that puts the blame squarely on one party, but advances a negotiated solution that culminates in a two-state solution.

He says Zambia believes that any declaration, addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, must acknowledge the serious considerations of the difficult situation that both parties find themselves in, as they strive to defend the respective rights of their people among other submissions.

This is according to a statement issued by Zambia’s First Secretary For Press in Brussels, Belgium Hambaya Munang’andu.

In this matter, South Africa has asked the International Court of Justice to consider whether Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

By Darius Choonya