UN court cases ‘will hang over the head of Israel’ in the future
The ICJ ruling is indeed non-binding and won’t help the people in Gaza immediately, but it is still seen as very important because this is the highest legal body in the United Nations – the World Court.
Even if Israel ignores it, as it’s done time and time again, all the UN countries are obliged to follow up on this court’s advice.
Last year, the same court ruled the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land is illegal and that all illegal settlements had to be removed. We’ve seen countries now saying they are recognising Palestine as a sovereign state, so this is the outcome of these advisory opinions.
All these cases at the International Court of Justice are building up an important legal file – important for the Palestinian people because even if Israel is ignoring it now, it will hang over the head of Israel from this moment on.
So maybe it will be held accountable in the future.
Gaza genocide ‘a collective crime’ sustained by ally ‘complicity’: UN expert
Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territory, says Israel’s genocide in Gaza “has been facilitated through Third States’ direct support, material aid, diplomatic protection and, in some cases, active participation”.
In a new report (PDF), Albanese said the genocide “must be understood as an internationally enabled crime” in light of the military, political, and economic support provided to Israel by third countries, as well as their refusal to hold Israel accountable for its crimes against Palestinians.
Albanese added after October 7, 2023, “most Western leaders parroted Israeli narratives, disseminated by state and corporate media” to effectively mute calls for Israel to end its war on the Gaza Strip, and allowed the Israeli military to continue its deadly offensive.
Then-US President Joe Biden repeatedly cited false news reports that Israeli babies were beheaded during the Hamas attacks, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer defended Israel’s “right to cut off water and power to civilians” in Gaza, she noted.
“This environment fuelled a ferocious Israeli assault,” Albanese wrote.
“Even amidst urgent calls for a ceasefire, Western states, led by the United States, advocated only for humanitarian ‘corridors’, ‘pauses’ and ‘truces’ – sidestepping a permanent ceasefire and ensuring a continuation of the violence.”
🚩My new report is out.
With their actions and omissions, third states have enabled the oppression of the Palestinian people and their genocide.
Those states have an obligation to stop their complicity and deliver justice.
And We The People, have to make it happen. https://t.co/vOuLFnhlBD pic.twitter.com/5QzQBbQJyP
— Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur oPt (@FranceskAlbs) October 22, 2025
