US again defends Israel’s stance in occupied lands
State Dept. adviser urges top UN court not to call for pullout
A day after vetoing calls for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the United States on Wednesday defended Israel’s decadeslong occupation of the West Bank and east Jerusalem, arguing at the United Nations’ highest court that Israel faced “very real security needs.”
The latest U.S. defense of Israel on the global stage came at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, where Richard Visek, the acting legal adviser at the U.S. State Department, urged a 15-judge panel not to call for Israel’s immediate withdrawal from occupied Palestinian territory. He said that only the establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel could bring about lasting peace, repeating a long-standing U.S. position but one whose prospects appear even more elusive amid the war in Gaza.
The court is hearing six days of arguments over the legality of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian-majority territories, including the West Bank and east Jerusalem, which has been the subject of years of debates and resolutions at the U.N. The hearings — involving more than 50 countries — were called long before Israel went to war against Hamas in Gaza, but have become part of a concerted global effort to stop the conflict and examine the legality of Israel’s policies toward Palestinians.
Israel has said it would not participate in the hearings, and sent a letter to the court last year arguing that they were unwarranted and failed to “recognize Israel’s right and duty to protect its citizens” or its right to security.
The United States has defended Israel during the war, including Tuesday, when it cast the lone veto against a U.N. Security Council resolution that called for an immediate cease-fire, saying it would disrupt efforts to free hostages held in Gaza.
On Wednesday, Visek asked the court to uphold the “established framework” for peace that he said
U.N. bodies had agreed to — one that is contingent on a “broader end to belligerence” against Israel — rather than to heed calls by other nations for Israel’s “unilateral and unconditional withdrawal” from occupied territories.
The Oct. 7 Hamas-led attacks on Israel were a reminder of the threats facing the country and of its security needs, Visek said, “and they persist.”
“Regrettably, those needs have been ignored by many of the participants in asserting how the court should consider the questions before it,” he said, referring to others countries’ testimony in the hearings.
Visek’s appearance preceded that of Vladimir Tarabrin, Russia’s ambassador to the Netherlands.
When he took the microphone, Tarabrin said Russia values its “stable relations” with Israel and expressed condolences over Oct. 7. But in what appeared to be a thinly veiled swipe at the United States, he said Russia “cannot accept the logic” of those who “try to defend the indiscriminate violence against civilians” in Gaza by citing Israel’s right to defend itself.
The court, which often hears staid disputes among nations, has lately become a venue for countries to oppose Israel. Last month, South Africa argued at the court that Israel was committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza — a charge Israel rejected. The judges have not ruled on that claim, but issued an interim order for Israel to take steps to prevent genocide in Gaza.
After the hearings, which are scheduled to end Monday, the court will give a nonbinding advisory opinion, a decision that is expected to take several months.
In Gaza, Israeli strikes across the territory killed at least 67 Palestinians overnight and into Wednesday, including in areas where civilians have been told to seek refuge. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital in Deir al-Balah said it received 44 bodies after multiple strikes in central Gaza.
Meanwhile, a member of Israel’s War Cabinet said Wednesday that new attempts are underway to reach a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas that could pause the war in Gaza.
“Initial signs indicate a possibility of moving forward,” said Benny Gantz, a former military chief and defense minister.
It’s the first Israeli indication of renewed talks since negotiations stalled a week ago. However, Gantz repeated his pledge that unless Hamas agrees to release the remaining hostages in Gaza, Israel will launch a ground offensive into the southern city of Rafah during the upcoming Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Israel says Rafah, a city on the Egyptian border, is the last remaining Hamas stronghold after nearly five months of fighting.