by Stephanie van den Berg, Bassam Masoud and Nidal al-Mughrabi
THE HAGUE/GAZA (Reuters) – The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Friday ordered Israel to take all necessary measures to prevent any possible act of genocide in the conflict with the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip , without however calling for an immediate ceasefire.
The ICJ was seized by South Africa, which accuses the Jewish state of violating the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Palestinian enclave.
Israel must prevent its forces from committing a genocidal act and take steps to improve the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, the ICJ said.
The ICJ did not rule on the merits of South Africa’s accusations – whether a genocide is currently underway in the Gaza Strip – but it recognized the right of Palestinians to be protected from genocidal acts. .
During the hearing this month, South Africa asked the ICJ to order an immediate end to the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 26,000 people in the Palestinian enclave according to the Gazan authorities. The ICJ did not respond to this request.
The Court asked Israel to report to it within a month on the measures taken. However, it has no way of forcing the country to act as requested.
“Today marks a decisive victory for the international rule of law and an important milestone in the pursuit of justice for the Palestinian people,” South Africa’s Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation said in a statement, pressing Israel to comply with the injunctions of the ICJ.
“Like any country, Israel has the inherent right to defend itself,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after the ICJ announcements.
“The despicable attempt to deny Israel this fundamental right is blatant discrimination against the Jewish State, and it has been rightly rejected,” he added in a statement issued in English.
HAMAS WELCOMES A JUDGMENT THAT “ISOLATES” ISRAEL
Former Hamas spokesperson Sami Abou Zouhri, for his part, welcomed a judgment which, according to him, contributes to “isolating” Israel and exposing its crimes in Gaza. He called on the international community to force the Jewish state to implement the Court’s decisions.
In a statement, Islamic Jihad, another Palestinian group fighting Israel in the Gaza Strip, regretted that the main judicial body of the United Nations had not called for an immediate end to hostilities, proof according to it of the control exercised by the ” global evil powers” on international justice.
Hossein Amirabdollahian, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran, a supporter of Hamas, called for the immediate referral to justice of Israeli officials.
The European Commission said it expected the “complete, immediate and effective” application of the judgment rendered on Friday.
While awaiting a judgment on the merits, France for its part recalled “working towards a ceasefire” and having “recalled many times the importance (…) of strict respect for international law humanitarian aid by Israel.
Concerning the accusation of genocide, France considers that “the words must retain their meaning” and underlines “the importance it attaches to the Court taking into account the exceptional gravity of the crime of genocide, which requires the establishment of an intention”, declared the deputy spokesperson for the Quai d’Orsay.
Israel launched its offensive against Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, after the Islamist group’s deadly attack in the south of the Jewish state, which left 1,200 dead while 240 Israelis were taken hostage.
(Reporting Stephanie van den Berg in The Hague, Anthony Deutsch and Bart Meijer in Amsterdam, Henriette Chacar in Jerusalem, written by Zhifan Liu and Blandine Hénault, edited by Sophie Louet and Bertrand Boucey)
©2024 Thomson Reuters, all rights reserved. Reuters content is the intellectual property of Thomson Reuters or its third party content providers. Any copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. “Reuters” and the Reuters Logo are trademarks of Thomson Reuters and its affiliated companies.