The Houthis’ attacks on civilian vessels in the Red Sea, which amount to a piratical war on global commerce, were not on the minds of the members of the International Court of Justice on Friday, which instead issued a nonbinding opinion on what it calls “the policies and practices of Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory, including east Jerusalem.” Unsurprisingly, the court deemed these policies and practices to be illegal, and urged the mass expulsion of Jews from the West Bank and parts of Jerusalem. The title itself reveals a premature conclusion that these long-disputed territories, not claimed by any other country, are “Palestinian.” Examining the text, which concludes with a call for the creation of a Palestinian state, Elliott Abrams writes:

What is so striking is that this entirely political judgment comes in what is supposed to be a legal document. Perhaps you believe that creating an “independent and sovereign” Palestinian state will “contribute to regional stability” and to Israeli security. I do not. . . . I think it will greatly endanger Israel and “regional stability,” and will be another launching pad for Iranian aggression. That’s my political judgment; the contrary is the political judgment of the judges of the International Court of Justice, and it should have no place whatsoever in what purports to be a legal opinion.

Yesterday, the Iranian foreign minister flew to Geneva to meet with European diplomats. President Trump, meanwhile, indicated that cease-fire negotiations might soon begin with Iran, which would presumably involve Tehran agreeing to make concessions regarding its nuclear program, while Washington pressures Israel to halt its military activities. According to Israeli media, Iran already began putting out feelers to the U.S. earlier this week. Aviram Bellaishe considers the purpose of these overtures:

The regime’s request to return to negotiations stems from the principle of deception and delay that has guided it for decades. Iran wants to extricate itself from a situation of total destruction of its nuclear facilities. It understands that to save the nuclear program, it must stop at a point that would allow it to return to it in the shortest possible time. So long as the negotiation process leads to halting strikes on its military capabilities and preventing the destruction of the nuclear program, and enables the transfer of enriched uranium to a safe location, it can simultaneously create the two tracks in which it specializes—a false facade of negotiations alongside a hidden nuclear race.