U.S. Defends Israeli Occupation of Palestinian Territories

Any movement towards Israel’s withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza requires consideration of Israel’s very real security needs. We were all reminded of those security needs on Oct. 7, 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. It is more urgent than ever to proceed to a Palestinian state, one that also ensures the security of Israel and makes the necessary commitments to do so. In light of these considerations, the court should not find that Israel is legally obligated to immediately and unconditionally withdraw from occupied territory. Others have asked you to broadly construe the questions and the law. They have asked you to try to resolve the whole of the dispute between the parties through an advisory opinion addressed to questions, focusing on the acts of only one party. The United States disagrees with that, that this approach would be consistent with the court’s role within the United Nations or the established U.N. framework for achieving peace through negotiations.