The US has criticized the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) ruling that said the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal and must come to an end, claiming it impedes a two-state solution.
“We are concerned that the breadth of the court’s opinion will complicate efforts to resolve the conflict and bring about an urgently needed just and lasting peace, with two states living side-by-side in peace and security,” a State Department spokesperson told Reuters in an email on Saturday.
The spokesperson said the ICJ ruling, which was a non-binding opinion, was “inconsistent with the established framework.”
In contrast, the US refused to condemn the Israeli Knesset passing a resolution that rejects the establishment of a Palestinian state west of the Jordan River, which covers all of the occupied territories.
“I’ll let Israeli officials speak to their own legislative chamber and the actions that that chamber takes,” State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said about the Knesset vote. He claimed the US was still committed to a two-state solution, but the US continues to back an Israeli government that’s explicitly opposed to the idea.
The ICJ ruling said the establishment and expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem amounted to annexation. Since October 7, Israeli settlers have stepped up their attacks on Palestinians to steal their homes, and the Israeli government has approved the largest land grab in the West Bank in 30 years.
In Gaza, the Israeli military controls about 26% of the territory and has demolished buildings and destroyed agricultural land in those areas, potentially paving the way for new Jewish settlements.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is also the minister in charge of settlement expansion in the West Bank, has called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to formally annex the territory in response to the ICJ ruling.
Photo: Judges arrive at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), during a ruling on South Africa's request to order a halt to Israel's Rafah offensive in Gaza, in The Hague, May 24, 2024 © Reuters.
Source: AntiWar.
