According to the UN's highest legal body, a recent resolution calls for Israel to respect all international norms of conduct, especially those in international law.
The UN General Assembly passed a resolution on Thursday in an appeal to the United Nations’ highest legal profession to define what obligations that country has in Gaza and the West Bank to deliver humanitarian aid necessary for Palestinian civilians to sustain their lives.
“The Norwegian-sponsored resolution “requesting the ICJ provide an advisory opinion” was put to a vote with 137 in favour, 12 against, and 22 abstentions. The United States of America, Israel’s major friend, abstained from supporting the resolution”.
Decisions adopted by the 193-member General Assembly are non-binding, however, resolutions adopted by the General Assembly are statements of world opinion.
This comes days after the ICJ urged Israel to end its occupation of territories that it occupied 57 years ago. In July, the court delivered a non-binding advisory opinion under paragraph 63 of its rules, in which it considered Israel’s presence in the occupied Palestinian territories and demanded it cease the occupation and illegal settlement construction at once.
Thursday’s resolution also comes in the wake of several Israeli laws passed at the end of October which are set to come into force in 90 days that exclude the United Nations Refugee Agency for Palestine refugees, or UNRWA, from operating in Palestine.
UNRWA alone can perform the work of the UNRWA, said the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, and a spokesman for the United Nations repeated on Thursday that according to international law, if the UNRWA is prohibited, as the occupying power, the state of Israel will be obliged to provide basic needs of Palestinians.
Norway’s deputy foreign minister, Andreas Kravik, speaking to journalists said: ‘the international community must respond’ to tens of thousands of people killed in Gaza and nearly the whole population suffers from acute hunger, some of them have been on the verge of famine."
Andreas Kravik (center), Deputy Foreign Minister of Norway, briefs the press on the humanitarian situation in Gaza. On the right is Mahmoud Daifallah Mahmoud Hmoud, Permanent Representative of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the UN, and on the left is Ahmet Yildiz, Permanent Representative of Turkiye to the UN.
He said many countries, the UN and its agencies, and aid organizations are willing to expand their humanitarian involvement, but the issue is there “is no sensitization/access”.
Speaking to the assembly before the vote, Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon said the members were discussing “the same ordinary agenda day Illusion which is all about attacking Israel and questioning the legitimacy of its measures to protect its people.”
Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny
“This time the Palestinians are using a new tool in this diplomatic circus: The international court of justice,” he said.
The resolution calls for Israel to abide by all its legal requirements under global law and those set by the UN’s foremost court.
It raises concern with prevailing legislation relating to the UNRWA as well as actions by Israel to prevent aid for the Palestinians.
In the resolution, further questions are raised related to the ICJ’s July decision, such as what Israel’s duties would be “to guarantee and promote unrestricted access to urgently required goods necessary for the sustenance of the Palestinian civilian population”.
With inputs from agencies
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Manish Kumar had pursued a master’s degree in journalism and mass communication from Amity University, Haryana. He is an enthusiastic and dedicated writer, who has worked with several ministries of the Government of India and contributed his voice to major campaigns and programmes. Being devoted to practicing significant journalism, Manish does his best to become a voice of change in society. Not only does he tell but also persuades, which is indicative of his strong conviction in the perspective of media.
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