A hearing on Israel’s policies and practices in the occupied Palestinian Territories is beginning at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the United Nations’ highest court, on Monday. The UN General Assembly asked the court for an opinion on the legal consequences of Israel’s actions towards Palestinians in the occupied territories in late 2022, before the beginning of the latest Gaza war last year, unleashed by the October 7 attacks by Palestinian extremist organization Hamas and other militant groups in Israel. Fifty-two states and three international organizations are taking part in th…