On Wednesday, experts in international law and United Nations affairs sharply criticized the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for issuing a non-binding ruling that calls on Israel to cooperate with a controversial U.N. aid agency. This agency, previously defunded by the United States, has been accused of supporting Hamas, a group labeled as a terrorist organization by several countries.

Yuji Iwasawa, President of the ICJ based in The Hague, stated that Israel is “under the obligation to agree to and facilitate relief schemes provided by the United Nations and its entities, including UNRWA.” This statement has sparked significant debate and backlash from various quarters.

Controversy heightened when footage identified by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) showed individuals, labeled as combatants, carrying firearms and engaging with vehicles marked with U.N. symbols. This imagery has only fueled the skepticism surrounding the U.N. aid agency’s operations.

Commenting on the situation, Eugene Kontorovich, a professor and director at the Center for International Law in the Middle East at George Mason University Scalia Law School, expressed strong disapproval in an interview with Fox News Digital. He emphasized, “The opinion isn’t a decision of a case nor does it hold any legal authority whatsoever.”

Kontorovich further warned of the potential risks to U.S. interests, stating, “The ICJ claims a ‘moral authority,’ but this is questionable. Their conclusion that UNRWA is a neutral and legitimate aid agency ignores the infiltration by Hamas, as recognized by the U.S. government. The Court appears to create new legal precedents from thin air, posing a real danger to the U.S., which has repeatedly been disadvantaged by the Court’s politicized Advisory Opinions.”

Mohammad Abu Itiwi during the Oct. 7 massacre. The Hamas Nukhba commander was involved in the murder and abduction of Israeli civilians on Oct. 7 and, according to the IDF was simultaneously employed by UNRWA. (IDF Spokesman’s Unit)

Kontorovich, who is senior research fellow for the Heritage Foundation, added, “Based on this opinion, the ICJ could conclude that the U.S. must continue to work with U.N. organizations it wishes to quit or boycott – or provide aid to terror groups working to kill Americans. The U.S. should quit any treaty giving the ICJ jurisdiction – and recall its judge on the court.”

The State Department condemned the court’s opinion on X, stating, “Another corrupt ruling by the ICJ. As President Trump and Secretary Rubio work tirelessly to bring peace to the region, this so-called “court” issues a nakedly politicized non-binding “advisory opinion” unfairly bashes Israel and gives UNRWA a free pass for its deep entanglement with and material support for Hamas terrorism.  This ICJ’s ongoing abuse of its advisory opinion discretion suggests that it is nothing more than a partisan political tool, which can be weaponized against Americans.”

Israel’s Foreign Ministry wrote on X Israel that it “categorically rejects the ICJ’s ‘advisory opinion,’ which was entirely predictable from the outset regarding UNRWA. This is yet another political attempt to impose political measures against Israel under the guise of ‘International Law.’ Today’s ICJ advisory opinion should have called out the terrorist activity that UNRWA has been involved in: UNRWA employees directly took part in the October 7th massacre and continue to assist Hamas’s terrorist operations – all under the auspices of the United Nations.” 

The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres urged Israel to comply with the ICJ ruling. In response to the Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon terming the ICJ ruling a “shameful decision,” a spokesperson for Guterres told reporters, “We are counting on the Government of Israel to abide by its legal obligations. I’m not going to respond to the rhetoric by this or that official.”

Anne Bayefsky, Director of the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust, told Fox News Digital, “The ICJ – pompously called the ‘World Court’ – is a creature of the United Nations, an institution riddled with antisemitism and bias against the Jewish state.”

Bayefsky, president of Human Rights Voices continued, “So in this case, the U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution that declared Israel guilty and then ‘asked’ its Court to rubber stamp the pre-determined conclusion – to which the Court responded ‘aye-aye.”

Fox News Digital reported on Tuesday that the Hamas-linked United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) should play no role in the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip because it employed Hamas terrorists, according to Mideast experts.