ICJ rules Israel must let UN aid into Gaza, but verdict spotlights world body’s failures

The United Nation’s top court, the International Court of Justice, demanded that Israel allow aid into Gaza in an advisory opinion on October 22. It held that Israel is in breach of its obligations as a UN member state by having failed to do so adequately over the past two years.

The opinion was requested 10 months ago by the UN general assembly after Israel’s parliament banned the UN Relief and Works Agency from operating in territories occupied by the country. The UNRWA has long played a pivotal role in delivering humanitarian aid to Palestinians.

In its verdict, the ICJ unanimously reaffirmed that the use of starvation as a method of warfare is prohibited under international law. The court also ordered Israel, by 10 votes to one, to agree to and facilitate humanitarian relief in Gaza provided by the UN and its entities.

This aspect of the opinion should be celebrated. The precarious ceasefire in Gaza has not been accompanied by a simultaneous influx of aid. Conditions of famine, destitution and death continue to define the day-to-day experience of those living in Gaza.

However, some observers will be sceptical about whether the ICJ’s advisory opinion will have any tangible impact. A collection of judicial and institutional pronouncements on the illegality of Israel’s conduct in Gaza over the past...

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