Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Monday that his country "does not recognize the legitimacy of the ongoing discussion at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, which is examining the legal consequences of its practices in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem."

He added in a statement, "Israel does not recognize the legitimacy of the ongoing discussion in the International Court of Justice in The Hague regarding the legitimacy of the occupation," as he put it.

Netanyahu's office claimed that the discussion was "a move aimed at harming Israel's right to defend itself against existential threats."

He claimed that "the discussion in The Hague comes within the framework of the Palestinian attempt to dictate the results of the political settlement without negotiations."

The Prime Minister's Office stressed that Israel "will continue to fight this attempt," stressing that "the government and the Knesset (Parliament) are united in rejecting this wrong trend," he said.

On Monday, the International Court of Justice began hearings that will continue until February 26 for the pleadings of 50 countries, in implementation of the United Nations General Assembly’s request for the court in 2022 to issue an advisory opinion on the legal consequences of Israeli practices in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Among those countries are Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Egypt, the Emirates, and Jordan, in addition to the United States, Britain, Canada, Russia, and China, according to the court’s website.

In a similar advisory opinion, the International Court of Justice ruled in 2004 that the construction of the separation wall in the occupied West Bank was illegal, and demanded that Israel remove it from all Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem and its suburbs, with compensation for those affected. But Tel Aviv did not implement what the court requested.

On January 26, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to take measures to prevent genocide against Palestinians and improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, but it did not order a ceasefire.

The court continues to consider this lawsuit filed by South Africa, accusing Tel Aviv of committing “genocide,” and this is the first time, since its establishment in 1948, that Israel has been subjected to a trial before this court, which is the highest judicial body in the United Nations.