The International Court of Justice orders Israel to authorize humanitarian access to Gaza and prevent any act of “genocide”, Friday January 26. For his part, Benjamin Netanyahu considers the accusations of “genocide” filed by South Africa “scandalous”.
The highest court of the UN delivered a historic verdict on Friday January 26. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has called on Israel to “prevent the commission of any act falling within the scope of application” of the Genocide Convention and to take “all measures in its power to prevent and punish the “direct and public incitement to commit genocide”. South Africa, which had referred the matter to the court, hailed a “decisive victory (…) and an important step in the quest for justice for the Palestinian people”. The country had told the Court that Israel was violating the United Nations Genocide Convention of 1948, after the Second World War and the Holocaust. “Genocides are never declared in advance (…) but this Court benefits from the last 13 weeks of evidence which shows (…) a plausible allegation of genocidal acts”, underlined Adila Hassim, lawyer for the ‘South Africa.
“Scandalous” accusations for Benjamin Netanyahu
For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu considered South Africa’s accusations of “genocide” “scandalous”. “The despicable attempt to deny Israel the fundamental right” to defend itself is “blatant discrimination against the Jewish state,” he defended. The Court did not rule that Israel was committing genocide – that is a process that can take several years – but ruled on emergency orders. Hamas welcomed an “important development which isolates Israel”.
Concerning a possible ceasefire, the ICJ did not rule, but called on Israel to take “immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of basic services and humanitarian aid for which the Palestinians have a right. urgent need to cope with the unfavorable living conditions they face.
While the orders of this Court are legally binding, there is no obligation on States to implement them. The ICJ, for example, ordered Russia to suspend its invasion of Ukraine, without succeeding.