Pretoria turns again to the International Court of Justice in The Hague (ICJ). South Africa is asking it to issue a new order against Israel, which it has accused since December of violating the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
1 min
With our correspondent in The Hague, Stephanie Maupas
On January 26 and March 28, the highest court of theUN had ordered the Jewish state to ensure, in particular, Palestinian access to humanitarian aid. This time, theSouth Africa is concerned about the situation in Rafah, where the Israeli army conducts its operations.
Pretoria asks judges to order Israel to leave the city. South Africa also calls on Israel to take all measures to ensure unhindered access by the United Nations to Gaza.
By taking control of the border post with Egypt, and the Kerem Shalom crossing, Israel can now completely decide what can enter or leave the enclave, underlines South Africa, whose lawyers point out that the Palestinians cannot flee Rafah, the only area of the territory that is not destroyed.
The South African state is also asking judges to order that journalists and international investigators can access the Palestinian enclave, something Israel has refused since October 7 and the start of the war.
The judges have not yet ruled on the merits. But at the end of January, they estimated that there was a real risk of genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza. And the Court gave South Africa the right to monitor the execution of its orders. Orders which are obligatory, but which Israel has not carried out.
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