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The U.N. human rights chief said on Monday that ending the nearly year-long war in Gaza is a priority and he asked countries to act on what he called Israel's "blatant disregard" for international law in the occupied Palestinian territories. "Ending that war and averting a full-blown regional conflict is an absolute and urgent priority," the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in a speech at the opening of the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva. "States must not - cannot - accept blatant disregard for international law, including binding decisions of the (U.N.) Security Council and orders of the International Court of Justice, neither in this nor any other situation." He cited an opinion released by the U.N. top court in July that called Israel's occupation illegal and said this situation must be "comprehensively addressed." Israel has rejected the opinion and called it one-sided. Turk's comments were given in a broad speech marking the mid-way point of his four-year term as U.N. rights chief where he described massive challenges around the world and a crisis of political leadership.