GCC Secretary General Jasem Al-Budaiwi welcomed the opinion by the Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Friday regarding the illegality of the continuing Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories in the West Bank and Gaza for 57 years. In a GCC statement Saturday, the Secretary General indicated that this legal opinion confirmed and reinforced the Palestinian people's legitimacy and legal rights in accordance with international and UN resolutions. It also bolstered Palestinians' rights to regain territories seized by the Israeli occupation forces, he added. He pointed out that the settlement decisions and attempts to change the geography carried out by the Israeli occupation forces are illegitimate measures that do not enjoy any regional or international recognition, and do not change anything on the ground, stressing that the seized Palestinian territories will remain Palestinian and an inherent right of the Palestinian people. Moreover, he reiterated the firm positions of the GCC countries towards the Palestinian issue, and support for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the borders of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to obtain their state. Source: Kuwait News Agency