US criticizes ICJ opinion on Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories
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1 of 3 A general view of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in
The Hague, Netherlands August 22, 2023. REUTERS/Piroschka van de
Wouw/File Photo
[1/3]A
general view of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague,
Netherlands August 22, 2023. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights WASHINGTON, July 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. criticized "the breadth" of the
top U.N. court's opinion
that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal, with
Washington saying it would complicate efforts to resolve the conflict.
"We
have been clear that Israel's program of government support for
settlements is both inconsistent with international law and obstructs
the cause of peace," a U.S. State Department spokesperson said on
Saturday in an email.
"However,
we are concerned that the breadth of the court's opinion will
complicate efforts to resolve the conflict," the State Department added.
The
International Court of Justice, or the World Court, said on Friday that
Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories and settlements was
illegal and should be ended as soon as possible, delivering its
strongest findings to date on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The
State Department said the ICJ opinion that Israel must withdraw as soon
as possible from the Palestinian territories was "inconsistent with the
established framework" for resolving the conflict.
Washington said that framework took into account Israel's security needs, which it says were highlighted by the
Oct. 7 attacks on Israel by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. Those attacks killed 1,200, with
around 250 people taken as hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
TWO-STATE SOLUTION
The advisory opinion by ICJ judges is not binding but carries weight under international law and may weaken support for Israel.
The State Department said the way forward was through direct negotiations.
"Israeli
settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and the regime
associated with them, have been established and are being maintained in
violation of international law," ICJ President Nawaf Salam said on
Friday while reading the findings of a 15-judge panel.
The
court said Israel's obligations include paying restitution for harm and
"the evacuation of all settlers from existing settlements".
Israel
rejected the opinion and said a political settlement can only be
reached through negotiations. The office of Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the opinion, which it called historic.
The
State Department said it "strongly discourages" parties from using the
ICJ opinion "as a pretext for further unilateral actions that deepen
divisions or for supplanting a negotiated two-state solution."
The ICJ case stems from a 2022 request for a legal opinion from the United Nations General Assembly. It predates
Israel's war in Gaza,
which began after the Oct. 7 attacks and has killed almost 39,000,
according to the health ministry in Gaza, which has been under Hamas
rule, while causing a
hunger crisis,
displacing Gaza's nearly entire 2.3 million people and spurring
genocide allegations that
Israel denies.
The
ICJ opinion said the U.N. Security Council, the General Assembly and
all states have an obligation not to recognize the occupation as legal
nor "render aid or assistance" toward maintaining Israel's presence in
the Palestinian territories.
Israel
captured the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem - which the
Palestinians want for a state - in the Six-Day War in 1967 and has since
built and expanded settlements in the West Bank.
Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Paul Simao