Netanyahu says Jewish people cannot be occupiers in their homeland, after ICJ opinion

In response to the ICJ's historic advisory opinion on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the Jewish people cannot be considered occupiers in what he described as their historic homeland.

"No false decision in The Hague will distort this historical truth, just as the legality of Israeli settlement in all the territories of our homeland cannot be contested," Netanyahu said.

The World Court found Israel's decades-long occupation of the Palestinian territories to be "unlawful", and said it should be brought to an end "as rapidly as possible."

Israel's foreign ministry said it "rejected" the ICJ's opinion, describing it as politically biased and "completely detached" from reality. The statement condemned the ruling for "ignoring" Hamas' attack on southern Israel on 7 October.