The International Court of Justice ordered Israel on Friday to take measures to prevent and punish direct incitement of genocide in its ongoing war in Gaza.
“The state of Israel shall (..) take all measures within its power to prevent the commission of all acts within the scope of Article II of the genocide convention,” the ICJ said.
An overwhelming majority of the ICJ’s 17-judge panel voted to order urgent measures, which covered most of South Africa’s request, aside from ordering a halt to the Israeli war on Gaza.
The court ordered Israel to refrain from any acts that could fall under the genocide convention and also ensure that the Israeli army do not commit any genocidal acts in Gaza.
Presiding Judge Joan Donoghue kicks off proceedings, welcoming the representatives of South Africa and Israel in the ICJ against Israel.
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‘Decisive Victory’
In a press conference following the verdict, the South African government thanked the ICJ for the swift ruling.
South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Dr. Naledi Pandor, hailed the ruling as a “decisive victory” for the international rule of law.
She added that South Africa will continue to act within global institutions to protect the rights of the Palestinians in Gaza.
Pandor further said that, even if the court did not directly mention the term ceasefire, full implementation of the court’s demands will naturally lead to a ceasefire, and a halt to the war.
WATCH!
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH @Africa4Pal : South Africa's Foreign Minister, Naledi Pandor, ahead of today's International Court of Justice ruling says:
"Today I think the Palestinian issue is front and centre of the world…"
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Reactions
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri has called the court’s decision an important development, which contributes to isolating Israel and exposing its crimes in Gaza.
“We call for forcing the occupation to implement the court’s decisions,” Abu Zuhri told Reuters.
“The ICJ ruling was extremely important for several reasons,” Palestinian journalist and political analyst Ramzy Baroud said.
“One, it created the legal mechanism to end the ongoing genocide in Gaza; two, it initiated the procedure of looking into the case of genocide; three, it renewed hope in the international legal system, which has been made largely irrelevant due to American pressures and use of the veto power at the UN Security Council”.
For his part, the Israeli Prime Minister said that accusations that Israel is carrying out genocide are a lie and shameful. Netanyahu also said that Israel is fighting a ‘just war’ and that it will continue until a decisive victory.
South Africa’s Foreign Minister Heads to The Hague ahead of ICJ Ruling on Genocide Case
A Case of Genocide
On December 29, the South African government brought the case against Israel before the ICJ, accusing it of “genocidal acts” in its military campaign in Gaza.
Public hearings on South Africa’s request were held on January 11 and 12.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 26,083 Palestinians have been killed, and 64,487 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Palestinian and international estimates say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
