UN court to hold hearings on Israeli obligations to ensure humanitarian aid to Gaza

THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- The United Nations’ highest court opens hearings Monday into Israel’s obligation to “ensure and facilitate” urgently needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians in the occupied territories, bringing the ongoing conflict in Gaza back into focus in The Hague.A week of hearings has been scheduled in response to a request last year from the U.N. General Assembly, which asked the International Court of Justice to weigh in on Israel’s legal responsibilities after the country blocked the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees from operating on its territory.In a resolution sponsored by Norway, the General Assembly requested an advisory opinion, a non-binding but legally important decision from the court, on Israel's obligations in the occupied territories to "ensure and facilitate the unhindered provision of urgently needed supplies essential to the survival of the Palestinian civilian population?”Hearings open as the humanitarian aid system in Gaza is near...