US urges UN court not to rule against Israeli occupation — RT World News

The US government has told the UN Supreme Court that Israel should not be required to end its occupation of Palestinian territories, insisting that a withdrawal could threaten Israel's security. “Security needs.”

During a hearing on Wednesday, State Department Legal Counsel Richard Visek urged the International Court of Justice not to rule against Israel's military occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, arguing that “unilateral actions” The conflict cannot be ended.

“Any move toward Israel’s withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza requires taking into account Israel’s real security needs.” Vesek told the 15-judge panel.

The hearings, which were first requested at the UN General Assembly in 2022, aim to clarify the legal status of the occupied territories, and dozens of countries are scheduled to outline their positions in the coming days. Israel pledged to boycott the procedures, claiming that they had failed to do so “Recognizing Israel's right and duty to protect its citizens.”

Before testifying in the United States, Russia's ambassador to the Netherlands, Vladimir Tarabrin, said that the terrorist attack carried out by Hamas on October 7 “It cannot justify the collective punishment of more than two million Gazans.”

He added: “We cannot accept the logic of those officials in Israel and some Western countries who try to defend indiscriminate violence against civilians by referring to Israel's duty to protect its citizens.” He said.

The legal advisor to the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yasmine Moussa, was similarly condemned “Israel's brutal and comprehensive destruction of Gaza” As well as its continuation “Siege and siege.”

Israel first occupied the West Bank and Gaza following the Six-Day War in 1967. While Israeli forces have maintained a presence in the former territory since then, officials ordered a withdrawal from Gaza in 2005. They imposed a tight blockade on the Strip, citing cross-border rocket attacks and other Of the threats coming from Hamas.

A Hamas raid on southern Israel last year killed about 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostage, leading to an Israeli ground invasion of Gaza and air strikes on urban centers. According to local health officials run by Hamas, more than 29,000 Palestinians were killed in the attack, while the United Nations warned of an unprecedented humanitarian crisis with severe shortages of food, medicine and other key goods.

In the case brought by South Africa, the International Court of Justice was also asked to rule on whether Israel committed the crime “systematic” Acts of genocide in Gaza. The judges have not yet issued a final ruling, but they issued a temporary order urging Israel to take steps to prevent genocide. Israel has rejected these accusations “silly” And “Incorrect,” Under the pretext that it is acting in self-defense and that Hamas must ultimately bear responsibility for the bloodshed in Gaza.