The Hague: The World Court ordered Israel on Friday to prevent acts of genocide against the Palestinians and do more to help civilians, although it stopped short of ordering a ceasefire as requested by South Africa.
South Africa brought the case to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) earlier this month, asking it to grant emergency measures to halt the fighting, which has killed more than 26,000 Palestinians.
Riyadh Maliki, Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs, issued a statement responding to the International Court of Justice’s ruling, saying Palestine welcomes the significant order by the International Court of Justice in South Africa’s case against Israel under the Genocide Convention. In light of the incontrovertible evidence presented to the Court about the unfolding genocide, the ICJ ordered these provisional measures.
The ICJ ruling is an important reminder that no state is above the law or beyond the reach of justice. It breaks Israel’s entrenched culture of criminality and impunity, which has characterized its decades-long occupation, dispossession, persecution, and apartheid in Palestine.
Israel failed to convince the Court that it was not violating the Genocide Convention. The ICJ judges saw through Israel’s politicization, deflection, and outright lies. They assessed the facts and the law and ordered provisional measures that recognized the gravity of the situation on the ground and the veracity of South Africa’s application. Israel is accused of destroying an entire people and will now stand accused of Genocide, the crime of all crimes.