France's representative before the International Court of Justice, Diego Colas, said on Wednesday that Israel's continued construction of settlements "undermines the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state."

This came in a speech during hearings held by the International Court of Justice in The Hague, based on a request from the United Nations General Assembly to provide advisory opinions regarding the legal consequences arising from Israel’s policies and practices in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Colas stated that France affirms its “steadfast support for the two-state solution, ensuring the security of Israel and the aspirations of the Palestinians to establish an independent state.”

He explained that “the continuation of the Israeli occupation and settlement building undermines the establishment of a Palestinian state.”

More than 50 countries will participate in the sessions, which began on Monday and will continue until February 26, and will present arguments regarding Israel’s 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 the court’s request.