ICJ to hear case on Israel's obligations in occupied Palestinian territories

The International Court of Justice has announced the dates for public hearings for an advisory opinion on Israel's obligations regarding UN activities in the occupied Palestinian territories.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the court announced the hearing will last five days, beginning on 28 April and ending on 2 May.

Forty-four states will be given the opportunity to participate in the hearings, including Palestine, the US and the UK alongside other states from Europe, South America, North America, Africa, Asia and Oceania.

Additionally, four international organisations, the UN, the League of Arab States, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and African Union, will also participate.

The advisory opinion was requested following the adoption of a UN General Assembly resolution on 19 December 2024, which asked the court to outline Israel's obligations to the UN and third parties regarding the provision of services and humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The vote on the resolution, which was Norwegian-sponsored, passed 137-12, with 22 abstentions.

It followed from Israel's own law passed in October, outlawing the operation of the UN's agency of Palestine refugees (UNRWA) across Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.

The law has seen Israel clamp down on UNRWA services in the territories, with 6 schools affiliated with the agency being closed in annexed East Jerusalem on Tuesday.

The ICJ has been involved in two other hearings regarding Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories since the start of the Gaza war.

This includes a ruling in July 2024 that Israel's occupation of the territories, which includes Gaza, is illegal.

A second case is also underway in the ICJ over Israel's war on Gaza, which South Africa alleges is a genocide against the Palestinians.

Although still ongoing, the court has made provisional rulings that Israel was in danger of breaching the genocide convention, ordered emergency measures to be adopted by Israel in the war, including on the facilitation of aid entry into the enclave.