Jakarta. Indonesia sees the recent ruling by the UN's principal judicial organ against Israeli occupation still packs a punch despite its non-binding nature.

A ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Israeli occupation recently sparked world reactions, with Indonesia in support of the advisory opinion. The ICJ officially declared Israeli settlement in Palestinian territories a breach of international law. This ruling, which calls for the Israeli occupation to end as soon as possible, is not legally binding and thus does not inflict any sanctions. Even so, senior Indonesian diplomat Abdul Kadir Jaelani said the ICJ ruling still holds great significance due to its “persuasive character”. 

“An advisory opinion will reinforce the normative situation that is unraveling [in Gaza]. We know that Israel has made fairly strong legal arguments, and this [ICJ] ruling will break all of its arguments. Israeli papers even wrote that the ICJ ruling went beyond Israel’s worst fears,” Abdul Kadir told a press briefing in Jakarta on Monday.

Read more:Top UN Court Says Israel's Presence in Occupied Palestinian Territories Is Illegal and Should End

Fellow senior Indonesian envoy Amrih Jinangkung said the ICJ ruling could help move the needle as the UN General Assembly can treat the advisory opinion as a “guiding principle” in talks related to Israeli occupation. He added: “It is not legally binding, yes. … But all this time, many countries have stated that Israeli occupation has breached international law, and we have not had an authoritative statement from the top UN court until today. So it may be an advisory opinion, but [the ruling] is still of magnitude.”

The Indonesian Foreign Ministry also said that the ICJ ruling could push more countries to recognize Palestinian statehood. Over 140 countries across the globe have officially recognized Palestine to date. 

According to the Health Ministry in Gaza, the Palestinian death toll has crossed 38,900 lives since the conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas escalated on Oct. 7, 2023.

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