The obligations of Israel in humanitarian matters in Gaza before the International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice (CIJ) opens, on Monday, a week of hearings devoted to the humanitarian obligations of Israel to the Palestinians, more than 50 days after the establishment of a total blockade of the aid entering the Gaza Strip.
The representatives of the United Nations will start a five-day marathon at the CIJ, the highest court in the UN located in The Hague (Netherlands), at 10 am before a panel of 15 judges. The Palestinian Authority will be the first to testify, for most of the day.
This week, 38 other countries, including the United States, China, France, Russia and Saudi Arabia, as well as the League of Arab States, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the African Union, will present their depositions.
In December, the United Nations General Assembly had adopted a large majority a resolution, presented by Norway, asking the CIJ to give an advisory opinion “As a priority and urgently”.
The resolution asks the CIJ to clarify what Israel is required to do concerning the presence of the United Nations, its agencies, international organizations or third -party states for “Ensure and facilitate unhindered transportation of urgent supplies essential to the survival of the Palestinian civilian population”.
Israel controls all international, vital aid flows for the 2.4 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip struck by an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. The Hebrew state interrupted them on March 2, a few days before the breakdown of a fragile ceasefire after fifteen months of incessant battles.