U.N. seeks comment from International Court of Justice on Israel's exit of 'Palestinian refugee relief agency'

The U.N. has decided to seek advice from the International Court of Justice and the ICJ over Israel's decision to ban the activities of the U.N. Palestinian Refugee Relief Organization.

The U.N. General Assembly held a plenary session at the U.N. headquarters in New York, USA, and passed a resolution asking the ICJ for opinions on Israel's obligation to promote relief with 137 out of 193 member states.

The resolution calls on Israel to comply with its obligations so as not to interfere with the exercise of Palestinian residents' right to self-determination, while 12 countries, including Israel and the United States, voted against it.

However, the ICJ's recommended opinion is politically meaningful in the international community, but not legally binding.

Earlier in October, Israel's parliament passed a bill that would ban the U.N. Palestine Refugee Relief Organization from operating in Israel and occupied territories from January 15 next year and designated the organization as a terrorist group, banning communication and cooperation with the Israeli government.