US asks world court not to call for Israeli pullout from Palestinian territories

Richard Visek, acting state department legal adviser, attends the international court of justice hearings on Israel's practices in the Palestinian territories. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

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.

“Any movement towards Israel’s withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza requires consideration for Israel’s very real security needs,” Richard Visek, the state department’s acting legal adviser, told the ICJ judges.