NEW YORK, April 29, 2025 (WAFA) – Public hearings for an advisory opinion on Israel's obligations towards the United Nations and its agencies and bodies in the occupied Palestinian territories continue for the second day in The Hague.
Earlier Yesterday, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) began a week of hearings dedicated to Israel's humanitarian obligations towards the Palestinians, more than 50 days after it imposed a comprehensive blockade on the entry of aid to the war-torn Gaza Strip.
This week, 38 states are presenting their pleadings, including the United States, China, France, Russia, and Saudi Arabia, as well as the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the African Union.
According to the Court's agenda, the hearings (oral arguments) will take place from April 28 to May 2, 2025, with 44 states and four international organizations expressing their intention to participate in the pleadings before the Court.
This move comes in response to a resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly last December, at the suggestion of Norway, calling on the International Court of Justice to issue an advisory opinion outlining Israel's obligations to facilitate and ensure unimpeded access to urgent humanitarian supplies for Palestinians.
Yesterday, Counsellor Eleanor Hommeshøll, representative of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, asserted that Israel "has violated its obligations regarding the immunity of UN personnel," emphasizing that "the United Nations rejects any interference by any state in the work of international organizations."
She warned that "the decision to ban UNRWA operations constitutes an expansion of Israeli sovereignty over the Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, and constitutes a failure by Israel to comply with its obligations."
In the State of Palestine's argument, its ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Ammar Hijazi, explained that the State of Palestine will present evidence during this argument of the devastating immediate, medium, and long-term consequences of this illegal Israeli policy on the Palestinian people, and on every aspect of their fundamental rights and continued existence.
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