In a controversial development, experts on international law and the United Nations have criticized the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for its recent advisory ruling. The court, located in The Hague, urged Israel to cooperate with a U.N. aid agency that has been embroiled in controversy, particularly after the United States withdrew its funding citing the agency’s alleged connections with Hamas.
ICJ President Yuji Iwasawa stated that Israel “is obligated to agree to and facilitate relief efforts conducted by the United Nations and its agencies, including the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).”
Video footage released by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reportedly shows individuals identified as combatants carrying weapons and interacting with vehicles marked with U.N. insignia.
Eugene Kontorovich, a professor and director at the Center for International Law in the Middle East at George Mason University’s Scalia Law School, shared his concerns with Fox News Digital. He emphasized that the ICJ’s opinion lacks the weight of a binding legal decision. “This ruling holds no legal authority,” Kontorovich asserted.
Kontorovich warned that the decision could have adverse implications for U.S. interests. “The ICJ claims ‘moral authority,’ yet it seems to be overestimating its influence. Despite evidence of UNRWA’s involvement with Hamas during the October 7 invasion and its infiltration, the Court still deems the agency neutral and legitimate. The U.S. government has acknowledged these associations. The ICJ’s decision-making process appears to be inventing new legal precedents, posing a significant risk to U.S. interests, especially given the Court’s history of issuing advisory opinions that conflict with American policies,” he elaborated.
In related developments, Mohammad Abu Itiwi, a Hamas Nukhba commander allegedly involved in the October 7 massacre and the abduction of Israeli civilians, was reportedly employed by UNRWA, according to the IDF Spokesman’s Unit.
Kontorovich, who is senior research fellow for the Heritage Foundation, added, “Based on this opinion, the ICJ could conclude that the U.S. must continue to work with U.N. organizations it wishes to quit or boycott – or provide aid to terror groups working to kill Americans. The U.S. should quit any treaty giving the ICJ jurisdiction – and recall its judge on the court.”
The State Department condemned the court’s opinion on X, stating, “Another corrupt ruling by the ICJ. As President Trump and Secretary Rubio work tirelessly to bring peace to the region, this so-called “court” issues a nakedly politicized non-binding “advisory opinion” unfairly bashes Israel and gives UNRWA a free pass for its deep entanglement with and material support for Hamas terrorism. This ICJ’s ongoing abuse of its advisory opinion discretion suggests that it is nothing more than a partisan political tool, which can be weaponized against Americans.”
Israel’s Foreign Ministry wrote on X Israel that it “categorically rejects the ICJ’s ‘advisory opinion,’ which was entirely predictable from the outset regarding UNRWA. This is yet another political attempt to impose political measures against Israel under the guise of ‘International Law.’ Today’s ICJ advisory opinion should have called out the terrorist activity that UNRWA has been involved in: UNRWA employees directly took part in the October 7th massacre and continue to assist Hamas’s terrorist operations – all under the auspices of the United Nations.”
The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres urged Israel to comply with the ICJ ruling. In response to the Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon terming the ICJ ruling a “shameful decision,” a spokesperson for Guterres told reporters, “We are counting on the Government of Israel to abide by its legal obligations. I’m not going to respond to the rhetoric by this or that official.”
Anne Bayefsky, Director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust, told Fox News Digital, “The ICJ – pompously called the ‘World Court’ – is a creature of the United Nations, an institution riddled with antisemitism and bias against the Jewish state.”
Bayefsky, president of Human Rights Voices continued, “So in this case, the U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution that declared Israel guilty and then ‘asked’ its Court to rubber stamp the pre-determined conclusion – to which the Court responded ‘aye-aye.”
Fox News Digital reported on Tuesday that the Hamas-linked United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) should play no role in the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip because it employed Hamas terrorists, according to Mideast experts.
