The US has urged the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague not to issue a ruling calling for Israel’s immediate withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian territories, arguing that Israeli security had to be taken into account in any solution to the conflict, The Guardian reports.Meanwhile, Russia demanded that Israel stop all settlement activities. Speaking at the ICJ hearing, according to Al Jazeera, Russia said that “Tel Aviv has a duty to put an end to current violations and “stop all settlement activities in the occupied territory”.More than 50 states are due to present their stances in the week-long hearings, which have further emphasised the isolation of Israel’s few supporters, following a UN security council hearing on Tuesday in which the US was the lone vote against a draft ceasefire resolution, with the UK abstaining. The US and UK are expected to be virtually alone again at the ICJ hearings in urging restraint in its ruling on Israel’s occupation, The Guardian added.
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