In The Hague, hearings continue at the International Court of Justice over Israel’s occupation of Palestine. State Department lawyer Richard Visek presented arguments for the U.S. yesterday.

Richard Visek: “Under the established framework, 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 October 7, and they persist. … The court should not find that Israel is legally obligated to immediately and unconditionally withdraw from occupied territory.”

Alongside Fiji, the U.S. is the only country participating in the World Court hearings in favor of allowing Israel’s decadeslong occupation of Palestine to continue. Earlier today, an official from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Ma Xinmin, addressed the court.

Ma Xinmin: “In pursuit of the right to self-determination, Palestinian people’s use of force to resist foreign oppression and complete the establishment of an independent state is an inalienable right well founded in international law.”