On Wednesday, Ambassador Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, UAE’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, stated that Israel’s actions in the West Bank and Gaza are detrimental to the two-state solution.
Speaking on the third day of hearings at the International Court of Justice regarding the legal consequences of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories since 1967, Nusseibeh highlighted the October 7th attack, settler aggressions in the West Bank, and the destruction of Gaza as stark indicators of the urgent need for the two-state resolution.
Nusseibeh underscored Israel’s daily violations of international and humanitarian laws in Gaza, specifically criticizing the military-induced call for evacuation in Rafah as an act of violence. She pointed out the dire situation of displaced individuals in Rafah, who lack alternative refuge if an Israeli assault were to occur.
The UAE representative branded the Israeli occupation as unlawful and emphasized the universal application of international law. Nusseibeh also drew attention to the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where 75% of the population has been displaced from their homes.
She advocated for the only viable solution to the ongoing conflict: granting the Palestinian people their full right to self-determination and establishing an independent state within the 1967 borders. She also called on Israel to ensure access to holy sites and to respect the status quo in Jerusalem.
The International Court of Justice is hearing briefings from an unprecedented number of 52 countries, along with the African Union, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the Arab League, on the legal implications of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories since 1967.
This set of proceedings is distinct from the case brought by South Africa against Israel concerning its non-compliance with the Genocide Convention in the Palestinian territories during its military campaign, which has resulted in the displacement of the majority of Gaza’s inhabitants and the deaths of approximately 29,000 Palestinians since the conflict began.
