With new ICJ Hearings Set to Begin on Monday 28 April: Israeli Supreme Court rejects second request to halt anti-UNRWA laws as six UNRWA schools face closure in occupied East Jerusalem. Adalah: Court’s failure to act demands urgent international intervention.
Next week, beginning on Monday 28 April, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will begin public hearings on Israel’s obligations in relation to the United Nations, including UNRWA and other international organizations and third states working for the benefit of Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). Over the course of a week, 40 states and international bodies will deliver oral interventions before the Court.
CLICK HERE for more info on the ICJ proceedings (Advisory Opinion)
On this occasion, Adalah seeks to draw attention to critical developments in its legal challenge before the Israeli Supreme Court against two new laws, passed in October 2024, aimed at dismantling UNRWA. The passage of these laws and many other draconian restrictions imposed by Israel on UN personnel in the OPT prompted the UN General Assembly’s request in December 2024 for the ICJ’s advisory opinion.
On 16 January 2025, Adalah, on behalf of Palestinian refugees and Gisha – Legal Center for Freedom of Movement, filed a petition to the Israeli Supreme Court, challenging these two new laws arguing that they violate fundamental human rights and Israel's obligations under international law.
Palestinian Refugees Petition Supreme Court Against Israeli Laws Aimed at Shutting Down UNRWA
CLICK HERE to read an English summary of the petition, including testimonies from Palestinian refugee families in the West Bank and East Jerusalem who depend on UNRWA services.
CLICK HERE for an unofficial translation of the laws
Adalah Attorney Suhad Bishara submitted the case before the Israeli Supreme Court.
Two weeks later, on 29 January 2025, the Supreme Court rejected the petitioner’s request to suspend the implementation of the laws, and allowed them to take effect despite their devastating impact on Palestinian refugees who depend on UNRWA services — including in Gaza, where Israel continues its genocidal assault and deliberate starvation campaign, enforced in part through a blockade that has lasted over two months since the end of the ceasefire.
CLICK HERE to read an unofficial translation by Adalah of excerpts from the State’s response to the petition
In a recent development, the Israeli Ministry of Education issued closure orders on 6 April 2025 for six UNRWA-operated schools in East Jerusalem, placing the education of close to 800 Palestinian students at immediate risk. The orders are set to take effect on 7 and 8 May 2025.
In response, the petitioners submitted an urgent motion to the Supreme Court, demanding a halt to the enforcement of these closure orders until a final ruling is issued on the petition. On 23 April 2025, the state responded, claiming that the Jerusalem Municipality is offering alternative schooling and that the petitioners should address the District Court. The petitioners have already demonstrated that the Municipality’s proposed alternatives are wholly inadequate. The Supreme Court rejected the petitioners’ motion regarding the closure orders on the same day.
CLICK HERE to read the [Hebrew] request for an interim injunction
CLICK HERE to read the state’s response to the request
CLICK HERE to read the [Hebrew] decision
The ICJ is now tasked by the UN General Assembly with examining Israel’s obligations as an occupying power regarding the presence of the UN and other international organizations in the OPT. In another cases, the ICJ has already ordered Israel to ensure the unimpeded delivery of basic services and humanitarian aid into Gaza, in full cooperation with the UN; this order is part of its provisional measures in the genocide case brought by South Africa. Israel continues to violate this order—not only by refusing to cooperate but openly targeting humanitarian organizations and killing hundreds of humanitarian aid providers.
In addition to its attacks on UNRWA, Israel has introduced a new registration system for international humanitarian organizations that allows for the denial or revocation of legal status and visas based on broad, politically motivated grounds.
Adalah stresses that Israel's aggressive campaign against UNRWA and the lives and livelihoods of Palestinian refugees in the OPT undermines critical humanitarian efforts and flagrantly breaches international law. The Israeli Supreme Court has so far egregiously failed to protect the rights of Palestinian refugees reliant on UNRWA’s life-saving services. Adalah urges the international community to vehemently demand the revocation of the anti-UNRWA laws and to continue to support UNRWA.
