Slovenia slams Israel at International Court of Justice
Slovenia highlighted Israel's obligation under international law to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people as it presented its position on the final day of oral hearings regarding Israel's conduct in Gaza and the West Bank at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Israel has an obligation under international law to grant access to basic provisions and humanitarian aid with its own resources, and facilitate the delivery of such aid by the United Nations, other international organisations and third countries, said Marko Rakovec, the head of the Foreign Ministry's international law directorate, CE Report quotes STA.
Slovenia is convinced that Israel cannot unilaterally revoke consent to such id programmes, and it is under an obligation to protect the presence, activities and security of all UN personnel and other humanitarian workers.
"As a UN member and in line with obligations that it has taken on without reservations, it has the duty to help the UN, in particular the UNRWA, its operational branch, in the full performance of its mandate," said Daniel Müller, an international law expert who represented Slovenia in the proceedings.
"It cannot avoid its international obligations to the organisation and its bodies ... with legislative acts that simply ban he operation of the UNRWA on the territory of Israel," he said.
According to him, the goal of these obligations is to provide security and protection to those working in the interest of the international community. "But in the occupied Palestinian territories ... they are far from being honoured.
Slovenia's position came at the end of five days of oral hearings which are part of the court's consideration as it seeks to issue an opinion on Israel's obligation regarding the presence of the UN, other international organisations and third countries in occupied Palestinian territories.
Slovenia was one of forty countries to have presented its position.
