MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Israel's ban of the U.N. agency assisting Palestinians and its blockade of all aid into Gaza have been heavily criticized this week in the International Court of Justice. The U.S. voiced support for its ally today, saying it's up to Israel to decide who it will work with to deliver aid to Palestinians, especially to the more than 2 million living in Gaza. NPR's Carrie Kahn reports.
CARRIE KAHN, BYLINE: More than 40 countries and organizations are testifying before the United Nations high court. Nearly all object to an Israeli law passed last year, banning the U.N. aid agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA. Israel says UNRWA is infiltrated by Hamas militants and that some of its employees were involved in the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. UNRWA dismissed nine employees but says Israel's evidence didn't prove a significant Hamas infiltration. U.S. State Department lawyer Joshua Simmons told the court Israel doesn't consider UNRWA impartial and has every right to not work with it.
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JOSHUA SIMMONS: To be clear, the United States supports the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, with safeguards to ensure it is not looted or misused by terrorist groups.
KAHN: The U.N. asked the high court for a nonbinding opinion about Israel's obligations to provide aid to Palestinians. Israel has blocked all aid from coming into Gaza for the past two months. Monday, Palestinian ambassador to the Netherlands, Ammar Hijazi, accused Israel of violating international law.
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AMMAR HIJAZI: It is about Israel turning Palestine, and particularly Gaza, into a mass grave for Palestinians and those coming to their aid.
KAHN: The humanitarian conditions in Gaza are dire. The U.N.'s World Food Programme says it has no more food to distribute to charity kitchens that provide meals for half of Gaza's residents. Bakeries have shut, and prices in markets have skyrocketed. Israel did not participate in the hearings. Its foreign minister accused the court of weaponizing international law to, quote, "deprive the most attacked country in the world, Israel, of its most basic right to defend itself." Carrie Kahn, NPR News, Tel Aviv.
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