Source : Perth Now news
A Palestinian diplomat has told the United Nations’ top court that Israel is killing and displacing civilians and targeting aid workers in Gaza.
Israel denies deliberately targeting civilians and aid staff as part of its war with Hamas and did not attend the hearing at the International Court of Justice.
In The Hague, Palestinian ambassador to the Netherlands Ammar Hijazi accused Israel of breaching international law in the occupied territories.
“Israel is starving, killing and displacing Palestinians while also targeting and blocking humanitarian organisations trying to save their lives,” he told the court.
The hearings are focused on a request last year from the UN General Assembly, which asked the court to weigh in on Israel’s legal responsibilities after the country blocked the UN agency for Palestinian refugees from operating on its territory.
In a resolution sponsored by Norway, the General Assembly requested an advisory opinion, a non-binding but legally important decision from the court, on Israel’s obligations in the occupied territories to “ensure and facilitate the unhindered provision of urgently needed supplies essential to the survival of the Palestinian civilian population”.
The hearings opened as the humanitarian aid system in Gaza is nearing collapse.
Israel has blocked the entry of food, fuel, medicine and other humanitarian supplies since March 2.
It renewed its bombardment on March 18, breaking a ceasefire, and seized large parts of the territory, saying it aims to push Hamas to release more hostages. Despite the stepped-up Israeli pressure, ceasefire efforts remain deadlocked.
The World Food Programme said last week that its food stocks in the Gaza Strip have run out under Israel’s nearly eight-week-old blockade, ending a main source of sustenance for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the territory. Many families are struggling to feed their children.
The United Nations was the first to address the court on Monday, followed by Palestinian representatives.
In total, 40 states and four international organisations are scheduled to participate. Israel is not due to speak during the hearings, but could submit a written statement.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The United States, which voted against the UN resolution, is scheduled to speak on Wednesday.
The court is likely to take months to deliver a ruling, but experts say the decision, though not legally binding, could profoundly affect international jurisprudence, international aid to Israel and public opinion.
“Advisory opinions provide clarity,” Juliette McIntyre, an expert on international law at the University of South Australia, told The Associated Press. Governments rely on them in international negotiations and the outcome could be used to pressure Israel into easing restrictions on aid.
Whether any ruling will have an effect on Israel, however, is unclear.
