Israel is not acting in “self-defense” in Gaza – Moscow

Vasily Nebenzya, Russia’s UN envoy, has stated that the Jewish state does not have the right to be a “occupying power.”

During an emergency extraordinary session of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, stated that Israel does not have the right to self-defense in Gaza since it is a “occupying power.”

According to Nebenzya, the United States and its allies are limited to discussing Israel’s purported right to self-defense. He did, however, note that “the International Court of Justice’s 2004 advisory opinion confirms that it does not have such a right as an occupying power.”

The ambassador continued her attack on the US and its allies, calling them hypocritical for consistently calling for respect for humanitarian law in other situations, setting up special commissions, and imposing penalties on those who “actually use force only as a last resort to stop decades of violence.”

The Permanent Representative stated, “And now, they seem to have taken water into their mouths, seeing the horrific destruction in Gaza, many times greater than everything that they angrily criticise in other regional contexts – attacks on civilian targets, including hospitals, the deaths of thousands of children.”

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Nebenzya emphasised that Russia acknowledges Israel’s right to self-defense nevertheless. He did point out that “it can fully be guaranteed only if there is a fair solution to the Palestinian problem,” meaning that resolutions from the UN Security Council should serve as the foundation for such a solution.

“We do not take away Israel’s ability to combat terrorism. However, combat terrorists rather than people, Nebenzya stated.

The October 7 Hamas onslaught, which resulted in the deaths of almost 1,400 Israelis and the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) launching retaliatory airstrikes on Gaza, has been formally denounced by the Russian government. Moscow has demanded a rapid ceasefire, but it has also charged Israel with killing Palestinian civilians without cause. The most recent statistics from Gaza health officials indicate that since October 7, over 9,000 Palestinians are believed to have died.