World Court orders Israel to stop its attack on Gaza’s Rafah
- LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
- South Africa hails ‘groundbreaking’ decision
- Palestinian Authority says order shows that there is an international consensus to end the war.
- Hamas appeals to UN Security Council to enforce the decision
- Israeli opposition leader says the ruling the country a moral disaster
The HAGUE The Hague, 24 May (Reuters) The Hague, May 24 (Reuters) Judges of the highest United Nations court ordered Israel on Friday to immediately stop its military offensive against the southern Gaza city Rafah in a landmark emergency decision in the South African case that accuses Israel of genocide.
Although there is no way to enforce the rulings of the International Court of Justice, or the World Court, has no way to enforce its decisions The case is an eloquent reminder of the world’s isolation against Israel over its military campaign in Gaza especially when it started an offensive on Rafah this month, despite the appeals of its most close allies its ally, the United States.
In announcing the decision, World Court president Nawaf Salam stated that his decision was to address the issue of the Palestinian Enclave was worsening since the last time the court granted Israel to take measures to improve the situation, and conditions were in place for an emergency order to be issued.
“The state of Israel shall (….) immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in the Rafah governorate, which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part,” the official said.
Israel did not explain how it was going to ensure the safety of the population during the evacuation of Rafah or supply sanitation, food, water and medical aid to the 800,000 Palestinians who have already evacuated from to escape Israeli advances, added.
The ICJ required Israel to allow the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza to allow in aid. Israel was also told that it must grant access to investigators and update the progress made within a month.
The decision was taken by the panel of fifteen international judges in a 13-3 vote, with only a few judge from Uganda as well as Israel itself.
South Africa hailed the ruling as revolutionary.
The White House spokesperson said “We’ve been clear and consistent on our position on Rafah.”
The internationally recognized Palestinian Authority said it represented an agreement across the world to bring the conflict to an stop but the presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh argued that the resolution was not enough, as it didn’t stop fighting in other areas of Gaza.
The senior Hamas officials Basem Naim told Reuters: “We call upon the U.N. Security Council to immediately implement this demand by the World Court into practical measures to compel the Zionist enemy to implement the decision.”
‘MORAL DISASTER’
Israelis expressed their anger. The Finance Minister of the far-right Bezalel Smotrich claimed that those who demanded Israel to stop its war also demanded that it stop being a reality and that Israel will not accept.
Israeli political opposition Yair Lapid described the move as “a moral collapse and a moral disaster” because it failed to connect the demand for a halt to fighting with a demand to make Hamas release hostages.
The decision was made just a week after it had been demanded from South Africa as part of its defense in which it accused Israel of breaking the Genocide Convention enacted in the following of the Holocaust.
The ICJ is based at The Hague, is the most prestigious U.N. body for hearing disputes between states. The decisions of the ICJ are binding and final however, they have been rescinded in the past due to the fact that the court does not have any enforcement powers.
Israel has repeatedly rejected the allegations of genocide as unfounded, arguing in court that its actions in Gaza are self-defense, and aimed towards Hamas militants who have attacked Israel in October. 7.
An Israeli government spokesperson said on the morning of the decision on Friday the following “no power on Earth will stop Israel from protecting its citizens and going after Hamas in Gaza”.
In front of the courtroom on Friday there was a small number of Palestinian-friendly demonstrators held flags and performed the rapping using a boombox in support of a free Palestine.
Israel began its military operation on Rafah at the beginning of June and forced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to leave a city that has become an oasis for about 50% of the city’s 2.3 million.
Rafah in Gaza’s southern shore is also the primary route for aid. International organizations say that this Israeli operation has shut down the enclave, and increased the chance of food insecurity.
Israel states that Rafah has been the last restraining place for a large number of Hamas fighters and senior commanders. The group is not able to reach its goal of eradicating this Islamist extremist group as well as saving its captives without destroying the city.
The fighting has erupted in Rafah’s southern border and in the eastern district, however Israel has not yet launched an attack on the city’s most population region. The country’s closest ally, U.S., has repeatedly asked it not to conduct such an attack, stating that Israel is yet to present a plausible plan on how to accomplish this without causing massive casualties among the refugees who have been residing in the area.
EMERGENCY MEASURES
South Africa’s lawyers asked the ICJ in the last week to stop the operations at Rafah and demanded that it be stopped to ensure existence for Palestinians. Palestinian people.
South Africa has also sought an order to Israel to cease its wide-ranging conflict within the Gaza Strip, although the justice system has repeatedly resisted from granting such an order.
The Friday’s decision came a few only a few days before the prosecutor in charge of The Hague’s International Criminal Court – a separate court that is also located at The Hague – announced he had made the demand for warrants of arrest for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas leaders. of Hamas.
Prosecutor Karim Khan has accused Netanyahu as well as Gallant of crimes, including murder by using food as an instrument, and intentionally attacking civilians. Israel has denied the allegations and urged allies to reject the verdict.
South Africa’s larger case before the ICJ is a case in which South Africa accuses Israel of coordinating an unjustified genocide of Palestinians. Palestinian people. The ICJ hasn’t ruled on the basis of that claim, but it has rejected Israel’s request to throw out the case away.
Israel began its ground and air conflict against Gaza following the attack of Hamas-led militants through Southern Israeli villages, killing about 1200 people and capturing over 250 people as hostages according to Israeli statistics. Nearly 35,000 Palestinians have been killed during the offensive Gaza’s health ministry claims.
