A group of MEPs have urged the EU to align its position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with the landmark advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The letter is signed by 21 MEPs, including Malta’s Daniel Attard and Alex Agius Saliba.

The MEPs are asking European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell to take action and implement the findings and implications of the ICJ Advisory Opinion through several steps.

These steps include a ban on trade with settlements and a review of Israel’s compliance with Article 2 of the Association Agreement, which states that EU-Israel relations “shall be based on respect for human rights and democratic principles”.

The MEPs are also asking for a wider, thorough assessment of the implications of the Advisory Opinion for EU and Member States policies and external action, and that this report be made public and presented to the relevant bodies in the European Parliament.

“The ICJ’s historic opinion must be regarded as a pivotal moment for the EU to recalibrate its policy towards Israel so as to bring about the end of its unlawful occupation, enable the two-state solution to the conflict ensuring freedom and safety for both peoples, and resolutely defend the international legal order," the letter reads

Last week, the ICJ said in a landmark opinion that Israel should stop settlement activity in the occupied West Bank and East Jersalem. It also called for an end to the “illegal” occupation of all Palestinian territories, including the Gaza Strip.

The ICJ’s advisory opinion is not legally binding but carries significant political weight and marks the first time the court has pronounced itself on the legality of the decades-old occupation.

READ ALSO: UN’s top court says Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories illegal

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