It is regrettable that the International Court of Justice, in rendering a preliminary ruling on the genocide case brought against Israel on Friday, rejected South Africa’s demand for an immediate end to hostilities in Gaza.
Legal nuances are important, but what’s more urgent is to put an end to the slaughter of Palestinians. Even though the Zionist state has no intention of doing so, the court has increased the moral pressure on Tel Aviv to stop its amoral campaign against defenseless civilians in the besieged Strip.
Crucially, the judges believed that South Africa’s evidence could not be “prima facie” excluded from the genocide case against Israel. In addition, the bench mandated that Tel Aviv take all necessary steps to stop acts of genocide, apprehend and punish those who encourage genocide, and guarantee the delivery of humanitarian supplies to Gaza. Israel has been granted a month to submit a report to The Hague regarding its adherence to these measures.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded by calling the directive “outrageous” and pledging to carry on his “just war,” which has resulted in the murder of about 26,000 people. He had earlier declared with pride, “Nobody will stop us—not The Hague.”In the meantime, the US has stated that it still feels that “allegations of genocide are unfounded,” despite having given Tel Aviv, which is in charge of a massacre that will live in infamy, its unwavering support. Even though it might take the International Court of Justice years to rule on whether or not Israel’s actions in Gaza qualify as genocide legally, the killing of children, the starvation and collective punishment of a civilian population, and the ethnic cleansing of Gazans are widely accepted to be examples of genocide. Several states have applauded the ICJ’s ruling.
From here, where to go? Above all, when will the massacre of Gaza’s citizens stop? Although the ICJ renders binding decisions, the court is unable to implement them. Furthermore, as Israel’s haughty responses have shown, it has noThis is a mockery of the very rules-based order the US, UK and other Western states have sworn to uphold. In the past, these actors have bombed, or threatened to attack states that have, according to them, strayed from the ‘rules-based order’. Will they take a similar line against Israel? Or will they continue to defend the indefensible? Kudos to South Africa for raising a voice for humanity and against barbarism, irrespective of religious and ethnic affiliations. It is hoped that when the court next meets, more concrete measures are proposed to end the bloodbath and that one day, those responsible for shedding the blood of innocents in Gaza are brought to justice, as are those who aided and abetted them.
