 Yet the unusual speed of the proceedings will fuel speculation that the U.S. and Russia are closing in on a potential prisoner swap. Charles Mainz, NPR News, Moscow. The U.N.'s top court has ruled Israel's settlement policies violate international law. The world court's ruling concerns Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory of the West Bank. The U.N. General Assembly asked the top court to rule on Israeli policies toward Palestinians and the legal status of the occupation.