The United States which vetoed a UN Security Council resolution seeking a cease-fire in Gaza for the third time on Wednesday, defended Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands, arguing that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) should not order Tel Aviv to withdraw its forces from occupied territories. The US acting legal advisor at the Hague court told the adjudicators that any movement towards Israel’s withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza requires consideration for Israel’s very real security needs.
The UN’s top court kicked off its historic hearings into the legality of Israel’s 57-year occupation of the Palestinian territories including the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem. During the week-long proceedings, more than fifty states along with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the League of Arab Nations, and the African Union (AU) will present their arguments by February 26. Wherein, the judges are expected to take roughly six months to issue their opinion on the question, which also asks them to consider the legal status of the occupation and its consequences for states.
The whole world in general, the Muslim community, Arab nations, and Palestinian people in particular are highly concerned about the ongoing US-Israel nexus at the United Nations which not only impairs the sovereignty of the global forum but practically renders it dysfunctional. The Biden administration mercilessly used veto power multiple times sabotaging various ceasefire efforts at the UN Security Council since Israel launched its brutal offensive in Gaza over four months ago. After months-long US-Israel teamwork at the UN headquarters in New York, American authorities reached the Hague court to protect their long-held ally at the global judicial forum. Historically, America’s image as a global leader and responsible superpower was seriously tarnished due to Washington’s unrestricted and unlimited support for Israel’s unlawful actions and apartheid policies in illegally occupied territories over the past decades. The Biden Administration, the global community, and Hague judges must consult their history books or encyclopedias, as the Palestine dispute did not commence on October 7, but in the mid-1940s when nationless Jews from across the world reached Palestine and pushed out its centuries-old citizens from their motherland. After persistent failures of the UNSC, UNGA, and other forums, if Hauge judges fail to deliver justice and do not acknowledge Palestinians’ right to self-determination and statehood it will be a great setback to global multilateralism and will work as the last nail in the coffin of the United Nations.
