Trump to meet NATO chief Mark Rutte; ICJ says Israel must allow Gaza aid; Barnaby Joyce One Nation leadership suggestions rubbished by Pauline Hanson
The International Court of Justice said yesterday that Israel should allow the UN aid agency in Gaza, known as UNRWA, to provide humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territories.
Late last year, the UN General Assembly asked the Hague-based court to determine Israel’s legal obligations after Israel passed laws effectively banning the agency, the main provider of aid to Gaza, from operating there.
ICJ President Yuji Iwasawa said Israel “is under an obligation to accept and facilitate assistance programs provided by the United Nations and its agencies, including UNRWA.”
Aid trucks arrived in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza last week.Credit: access point
Israel has not allowed UNRWA to bring supplies since March. However, the institution continues its activities in Gaza by providing health centers, mobile health teams, cleaning services and school lessons for children. It is said that there are 6000 trucks of supplies waiting to come in.
The World Court’s advisory opinion comes as the sensitive Gaza ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States, which came into force on October 10, remains valid.
Israel has denied violating international law, saying the court’s proceedings were biased. In a written statement, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected this view and said that Israel “fully fulfills its obligations under International Law.”
He added that Israel “will not cooperate with an organization rife with terrorist activities,” referring to UNRWA.
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