Saudi Arabian envoy asks ICJ to condemn Israels hideous conduct in Gaza

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Tuesday concluded its second day of hearings on Israel’s humanitarian obligations in the occupied Palestinian territories, including the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

The hearings coincide with Israel's total blockage of humanitarian aid to Gaza, which has been ongoing for over 50 days, and the intensification of military attacks that have killed hundreds of civilians since the collapse of the ceasefire on 18 March.

The five-day proceedings, which were prompted by a request from the UN General Assembly in December, include submissions from at least 40 nations and organisations on Israel’s obligations concerning the presence and activities of the United Nations and other international organisations in the occupied Palestinian territories, as well as the role of third states.

South African diplomat Zane Dangor kicked off the proceedings on Tuesday, telling the court that the “world has failed the Palestinian people” and that Israel has been committing "persecution, apartheid and genocide" in Gaza under the world’s “watchful eye”.

"While we watch, the gaze of Palestinians is directed squarely at the international community,” he warned.

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He further condemned the "exceptionalism" enjoyed by Israel, "from accountability and to international law and norms”.

“Any country or entity which seeks to hold Israel accountable for its inhumane and unlawful actions is subject to countermeasures and sanctions from which the UN and this court has not been spared,” he said.

Referring to Israel’s outlawing of the UN agency for Palestinian Refugees (Unrwa) in October 2024, which led Norway to lobby the General Assembly to request the case, he said that the agency is “one of the latest casualties of Israel”.

He added that Israeli attacks on Unrwa are intended to “imperil the existence of Palestinians as a group” through the denial of Palestinian refugees’ right of return.

He concluded that the world must “save whatever is left of our humanity by ending Israel’s unlawful settler colonial occupation and its intentional starving of the Palestinian population”.

‘Hideous conduct’

Saudi Arabia’s Mohamed Saud Alnasser, who is the director of legal affairs at the foreign ministry, condemned Israel’s “flagrant violations of international law” in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, as well as Gaza.

“Less than a year ago, the court heard that Israel’s policies and practices in the occupied territory, including its settlement practices, its continued occupation and its annexation of parts of that territory are flagrant violations of international law that must be brought to an end as a matter of urgency,” he said.

“Sadly, but predictably, Israel chose to ignore the court’s ruling, showing it considered itself above the law”.

Turning to Israel’s “hideous conduct” in Gaza, Alnasser said its “most ruthless application has been the siege conditions imposed over the Gaza Strip since October 2023”.

Meanwhile, Belgian legal advisor Antoine Misonne reminded the court of Israel’s obligation to cooperate with UN bodies, including Unrwa in the occupied Palestinian territories,  as "Israel has no right to sovereignty over any part of the occupied Palestinian Territory and cannot exercise sovereign powers there by virtue of its occupation".

In a subsequent submission, Colombian representative Mauricio Jaramillo Jassir, vice-minister for multilateral affairs, said that Israel's actions have "put the Palestinian population in an impossible position" through the creation of a "dire humanitarian crisis" in Gaza and its blocking of aid to the Strip.

"Israel has made the Palestinian population subject exclusively to its power and has impeded the work of relief agencies, which have been the only protection for the starving population," he said.

He added that this conduct is "inconsistent with Israel's status as an occupying power", a breach of international and humanitarian law and its obligations as a UN member.

Spanish ambassador to the Netherlands, Maria Consuelo Femenia Guardiola, told the court that the Knesset judgements against Unrwa, passed in October, "constitute an arbitrary withholding of consent to humanitarian organisations and in particular to Unrwa, to provide humanitarian assistance and therefore a breach of international humanitarian law applicable to all occupying powers".

She added that Israel's prevention of the presence and activities of the UN in the occupied Palestinian territory is "a violation of both the norms of international human rights, both applicable to Israel and to the right of self-determination".

The full text of the proceedings is now available on the court's website. 

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