On Thursday, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague continued its hearings on "The Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem."
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During his intervention before the court, Ambassador Chino Ma Xinmin noticed that international law gives Palestinians the right to undertake the armed struggle to liberate themselves from the illegitimate domination of a foreign and colonial rule.
“In pursuit of the right to self-determination, Palestinian people’s use of force to resist foreign oppression and complete the establishment of an independent state is an inalienable right well founded in international law,” he said.
Besides mentioning the United Nations General Assembly's resolutions related to the Palestinian case, the Chinese ambassador indicated that the armed struggle is usually one of the means to which nations resort when seeking to achieve their self-determination.
“The 1973 UNGA Resolution 3070 reaffirms the legitimacy of the people's struggle for liberation from colonial and foreign domination and alien subjugation by all available means, including armed struggle," he stressed.
"This recognition is also reflected in international convention. For example, the 1978 Arab Convention for Suppressing of Terrorism affirms 'the right of peoples to combat foreign occupation aggression by whatever means, including armed struggle in order to liberate the territories and secure the right to self-determination and independence'."
Ma stated that the armed struggle waged by peoples for their liberation against colonialism, occupation, aggression, and domination should not be considered as terrorist acts. For it is grounded in the international law.
"This distinction is acknowledged by several international conventions. For example, Article 3 of the 1999 OAU Convention on the Prevention and Combating the Terrorism," he recalled."