"No Right to Self-Defense"… Russia: Israel is an Occupying State

The Russian permanent representative to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya, stated that "Israel has no right to self-defense in the current conflict because it is an occupying state." During his speech at the emergency special session of the UN General Assembly regarding Palestine, he pointed out that the UN does not have the authority to grant Israel a blanket mandate for a ground operation in Gaza. Nebenzya affirmed his country's call to stop the bloodshed in the Middle East to prevent the crisis from expanding throughout the entire region and to work towards a diplomatic solution. He said, "Initially, it is necessary to stop the bloodshed and prevent the crisis from engulfing the entire region; otherwise, the conflict will never cease."