Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar warned the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Monday that it is on the verge of "losing its legitimacy" by hearing arguments in the case of Israel's obligations to humanitarian organizations, such as the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).
"If the ICJ continues to be abused, like the International Criminal Court (ICC), for antisemitic purposes, it will lose its credibility and legitimacy. The ICC has already reached that point. The ICJ is on its way," Sa'ar said at a press conference in Jerusalem to explain Israel's decision not to participate in the hearings.
On Monday, the Hague-based ICJ began hearing arguments from nearly 40 countries on Israel's obligations regarding the presence and activities of the United Nations, other organizations, and states, including UNRWA, before issuing its advisory opinion at the UN's request.
During his appearance, Saar repeated Israel's accusation that UNRWA is "infiltrated" by the Hamas terrorist group and detailed several cases of employees who participated in the October 7, 2023, attacks.
"It is the UN and UNRWA that should be on trial," the minister said.
Saar also noted that no other country has been indicted at the ICJ as much as Israel, asserting that this demonstrates the "politicization" of the UN court.
Last December, the United Nations General Assembly requested that the ICJ issue, as a matter of priority and with the utmost urgency, a non-binding legal opinion answering a question related to Israel's role in international organizations.
The ICJ, the UN's highest judicial body, lacks the tools to enforce its decisions and therefore relies on the will of individual countries. It also does not judge individuals; its function focuses on resolving disputes between States and issuing advisory opinions requested by the General Assembly.