Credit: Thomas Wolf, CC BY-SA 3.0

The UN’s top court yesterday handed down a detailed advisory opinion on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories (OPT) following a request from the UN General Assembly.

Israel must uphold its responsibilities as the “occupying power” by ensuring aid can flow freely and by respecting the rights of the UN and other humanitarian agencies working in the OPT, it said.

Israel is required to “ensure that the population of the OPT has the essential supplies of daily life, including food, water, clothing, bedding, shelter, fuel, medical supplies and services”.

The court called on Israel to also “respect and protect” all aid workers, medical personnel and facilities.

By 10 votes to one, judges also held that Israel “has an obligation” to cooperate in good faith with the UN, including the Palestine refugee relief agency UNRWA.

In a statement, UNRWA called on Israel to lift restrictions on its activities, including through legislation introduced in March.

“The so called ‘no-contact policy’, which bans Israeli officials from coordinating or communicating with UNRWA officials, undermines UNRWA personnel and operations on the ground and places them at great risk from military operations,” it said.

“This legislation has also compounded a climate of disregard for international humanitarian law and the protection of UN personnel and facilities.

“UNRWA team members have been killed. Others have been detained and subjected to severe mistreatment in custody. UNRWA facilities in the Gaza Strip and in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, have been destroyed, damaged and forcibly entered and misused.

“Not only must this cease immediately in line with international law, but there must also be accountability.

“Aid must be let in, and humanitarian personnel and operations must be protected. All restrictions on UNRWA must be lifted immediately.”