Norway wants the International Court of Justice in The Hague to issue an opinion on Israel’s obligations to facilitate humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, Oslo said on Tuesday after the Knesset made it illegal for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) to operate in the country’s territory.
The Scandinavian nation is requesting that the United Nations’ top court “pronounces on Israel’s obligations to facilitate humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian population, delivered by international organizations, including the U.N., and states,” Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said in a statement cited by the Agence France-Presse agency.
Norway will submit a resolution to the U.N. General Assembly, which will request the court to “give an advisory opinion on Israel’s obligations as an occupying power to facilitate humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people,” Oslo said in the statement, adding that UNRWA and “several countries” have already expressed their support for its initiative.
On Monday, a majority of Israeli lawmakers from across the political spectrum voted into law two bills banning UNRWA’s operations in Israeli territory and prohibiting state officials from cooperating with the agency.
The legislation was introduced following the exposure of UNRWA personnel complicity in Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 massacre, despite pressure from the United States and other countries against the move.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said in a statement on Monday that “Norway strongly rejects the legislation adopted by the Knesset, which will make it impossible for UNRWA to operate in Palestine.”
Barth Eide claimed in the statement that “no one can take on UNRWA’s responsibilities in meeting the fundamental needs of Palestine refugees for food, protection, shelter, health care and education.”
Oslo’s top diplomat added, “This is yet another example of Israel ignoring its international legal obligations.”
Also on Monday, South Africa submitted to the ICJ its case against Israel, arguing that Jerusalem intends to commit genocide in Gaza.
South Africa launched its case in late 2023 and has now filed the bulk of the relevant material to support its claim, the statement said. Israel has dismissed allegations that it’s perpetrating genocide, calling them a blood libel. Pretoria has not published the contents of the documents.
