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Israel/Zionism See other Israel/Zionism Articles Title: US Tells World Court Israel Has Right to Starve Gaza By Kyle Anzalone Two months into Israel’s latest siege of Gaza, an American official argued to the International Court of Justice that Tel Aviv is within its rights to deprive Palestinians of food, medicine, and other aid. Joshua Simmons, a senior legal adviser at the US State Department, argued to the World Court that international law “does not impose any unqualified obligations on an occupying power” with respect to humanitarian assistance provided by the UN, international organizations, and third states. The UN’s top court is holding five days of hearings to decide what obligations Israel has to the Palestinians under its military occupation. The UN General Assembly asked the court to consider whether Tel Aviv is required to allow the UN Palestinian aid agency, UNRWA, to bring food, medicine, and other basic survival needs into Gaza. Simmons argued Tel Aviv was not required to work with UNRWA to ensure Palestinians have food and other essential goods. “There are serious concerns about UNRWA’s impartiality, including information that Hamas has used UNRWA’s facilities, and that UNRWA’s staff participated in the 7 October terrorist attack against Israel,” he said. “Occupation law preserves an occupying power’s discretion to address its security interests, including the ability to curtail the activities of third states or organizations that are contrary to its security,” Simmons told the ICJ. “It is clear that Israel has no obligation to permit UNRWA specifically to provide humanitarian assistance.” While Israel has repeatedly claimed that UNRWA employees participated in the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, a UN inquiry found Tel Aviv was unable to substantiate the accusation. Over the first two days of the session, a Palestinian official and representatives from several other nations argued that Israel was committing war crimes, including using starvation as a method of warfare. On Tuesday, South Africa’s representative Jaymion Hendricks argued that “International law prohibits Israel from the use of starvation as a method of warfare, including under siege or blockade, Israel may not collectively punish the protected Palestinian population, which it holds under unlawful occupation.” Israel has “deployed the full range of techniques of hunger and starvation, perfecting the degree of control suffering and death that it can cause through food systems, leading to this moment of genocide,” he added. “Despite the horrific attempts by Israeli officials to characterize them otherwise, Palestinians are human beings.” Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
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