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State Department official Richard Visek on Feb. 21 argued that calls for Israel to withdraw from Palestinian territory ignored “very real security needs." (Video: International Court of Justice)

U.S. defends Israel’s security needs at ICJ hearing on occupied territory

Updated February 21, 2024 at 4:02 p.m. EST|Published February 21, 2024 at 2:38 a.m. EST
2 min

The United States defended what it said were Israel’s “very real security needs” on Wednesday as part of a six-day hearing at the International Court of Justice on Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory. Diplomats and aid groups condemned the U.S. veto of a U.N. Security Council resolution that called for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and the release of hostages.

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The ICJ hearings deal with the broader topic of the occupied West Bank, annexed East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, but they could put added pressure on Israel over its military campaign in Gaza.
Syrian state media said an Israeli strike hit Damascus on Wednesday, killing two people and injuring one at a residential building. The Israel Defense Forces declined to comment.
Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz said in a briefing Wednesday that efforts are being made to promote a new hostage deal and that there are “promising early signs of possible progress.” Asked to comment on Gantz’s remarks, U.S. State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller said “we do think that there is space to reach an agreement here.”
Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen fired two missiles at a ship carrying aid to Yemen on Monday, U.S. Central Command said early Wednesday local time. Despite minor damage, the Greek-flagged, U.S.-owned carrier was able to unload grain at the port of Aden, Centcom said.
The World Food Program said it would halt food deliveries to northern Gaza, citing deteriorating safety conditions for aid workers. It added that staff “witnessed unprecedented levels of desperation” during recent delivery missions.
At least 29,313 people have been killed in Gaza and 69,333 injured since the war began, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack and says 238 soldiers have been killed since the start of its military operation in Gaza.
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The ICJ hearings deal with the broader topic of the occupied West Bank, annexed East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, but they could put added pressure on Israel over its military campaign in Gaza.
Syrian state media said an Israeli strike hit Damascus on Wednesday, killing two people and injuring one at a residential building. The Israel Defense Forces declined to comment.
Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz said in a briefing Wednesday that efforts are being made to promote a new hostage deal and that there are “promising early signs of possible progress.” Asked to comment on Gantz’s remarks, U.S. State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller said “we do think that there is space to reach an agreement here.”
Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen fired two missiles at a ship carrying aid to Yemen on Monday, U.S. Central Command said early Wednesday local time. Despite minor damage, the Greek-flagged, U.S.-owned carrier was able to unload grain at the port of Aden, Centcom said.
The World Food Program said it would halt food deliveries to northern Gaza, citing deteriorating safety conditions for aid workers. It added that staff “witnessed unprecedented levels of desperation” during recent delivery missions.
At least 29,313 people have been killed in Gaza and 69,333 injured since the war began, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack and says 238 soldiers have been killed since the start of its military operation in Gaza.
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Israel-Gaza war

Israel-Gaza war: In a U.N. Security Council vote Tuesday, the United States vetoed an Arab-sponsored resolution that called for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and the release of all hostages. The United States has circulated its own draft resolution seeking a six-week pause in the fighting — calling it a “temporary cease-fire” — and a phased release of hostages.

Middle East conflict: Tensions in the region continue to rise. As Israeli troops aim to take control of the Gaza-Egypt border crossing, officials in Cairo warn that the move would undermine the 1979 peace treaty. Meanwhile, there’s a diplomatic scramble to avert full-scale war between Israel and Lebanon.

U.S. involvement: U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and Syria killed dozens of Iranian-linked militants, according to Iraqi officials. The strikes were the first round of retaliatory action by the Biden administration for an attack in Jordan that killed three U.S. service members.