- The International Court of Justice is scheduled to issue a preliminary ruling on Friday on a case accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.
- International Court of Justice President Joan E. Donahue said at the outset that the court had no intention of dismissing the case.
- South Africa asked the court to take interim measures, including an immediate suspension of Israeli military operations in Gaza.
The United Nations' highest court is expected to rule on Friday calling for Israel to halt its military offensive in the Gaza Strip, with a preliminary ruling accusing Israel of carrying out genocide in the small coastal enclave. .
International Court of Justice President Joan E. Donoghue opened the session by reading the long-awaited decision of a panel of 17 judges in a case that goes to the heart of one of the world's most intractable disputes.
The judgment is expected to take about an hour to read, but Donahue said the court does not intend to dismiss the case.
South Africa's genocide lawsuit against Israel begins high-stakes legal battle at UN Supreme Court
“The court is acutely aware of the scale of the human tragedy occurring in the region and is deeply concerned by the continuing loss of life and human suffering,” she said.
A demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag as he stands outside the Peace Palace, home to the International Court of Justice, in The Hague, Netherlands, on January 26, 2024. Israel will hear whether the United Nations Supreme Court will order a halt to Palestinian operations. The military attack took place in Gaza during a court case in which South Africa accused Israel of genocide. (AP Photo/Patrick Post)
But Friday's decision is only provisional. It could be years before the full extent of South Africa's case is considered. Israel rejects the charges of genocide and has asked the court to drop the charges.
As the case winds its way through the courts, South Africa has asked judges to take so-called interim measures to protect Palestinians in the Gaza Strip “as a matter of extreme urgency”.
Israel seeks self-defense after South Africa's genocide accusation filed in international court
Top of South Africa's list is asking the court to order Israel to “immediately cease military operations in and against Gaza.” It also calls on Israel to take “reasonable steps” to prevent genocide and enable access to desperately needed aid.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohamed Shtayyeh said in a statement on Thursday that the decision included “immediate action to stop the aggression and genocide against our people in the Gaza Strip, and prompt access to relief supplies to save the hungry, wounded and wounded.” I hope that it will include a similar trend.” Suffering from the slow threat of death that threatens them. ”
Israeli government spokesman Eilon Levy said Thursday that Israel expects the court to dismiss the “false and dubious charges.”
Israel often boycotts international tribunals and UN investigations, calling them unfair and biased. However, this time, the government took the unusual step of dispatching a high-level legal team, which shows how seriously it is considering this case, and it is likely that the country's situation will be affected if the court orders the suspension of operations. This is likely an expression of concern that it would be a major blow to Japan's international standing.
Israeli officials said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu huddled with top legal, foreign and security officials on Thursday in anticipation of the verdict. He said Israel was confident in its claims but had discussed “all scenarios.” The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was discussing a confidential meeting.
Israel launched a large-scale air raid on Gaza after Hamas militants attacked Israeli communities on October 7, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting another 250. and began a ground attack.
The attack destroyed vast swaths of the territory and displaced nearly 85% of the country's 2.3 million inhabitants.
The Hamas-run enclave's health ministry said Friday that more than 26,000 Palestinians had been killed. The ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its death toll, but says about two-thirds of those killed were women and children.
The Israeli military claims Hamas militants are responsible for at least 9,000 people killed in the nearly four-month conflict.
United Nations officials have expressed concern that at least a quarter of the population could face starvation and many more could die from disease.
Marieke de Hoon, an associate professor of international law at the University of Amsterdam, said the legal hurdles South Africa would have to clear at this early stage are lower than the legal hurdles it would actually have to clear, which is why the court decided not to move forward with the case on Friday. He said he believed it was unlikely that the case would be rejected. He applied for a ruling on the merits of the charges.
“The standard…is not. Was there a genocide? But it's a lower standard,” she said. “Is it possible that there was a risk of genocide that would hold Israel accountable for preventing genocide?”
But Dehun also does not expect the World Court to order an end to Israeli military operations.
“They will avoid actually calling for a complete ceasefire, because I think it's beyond their capabilities at this point,” he said in a phone interview.
The World Court's interim measures are legally binding, but it is unclear whether Israel will comply with the order.
Meanwhile, top Hamas official Osama Hamdan said his group would abide by the ceasefire if ordered to do so and was ready to release hostages if Israel releases Palestinian prisoners.
Fetterman condemns 'genocide' against Israel in South Africa amid unrest and crime: 'Shut up'
The key will be how the United States, Israel's biggest ally, responds to any order. The United States wields veto power in the U.N. Security Council and could block measures aimed at forcing Israel into compliance.
The United States said Israel has the right to defend itself, but also spoke of the need for the country to protect civilians in the Gaza Strip and allow further assistance.
The massacre shook the national identity of Israel, which was established as a Jewish state after the Nazis massacred six million Jews during World War II.
South Africa's own identity is key to this case. Its ruling party, the African National Congress, controls Israel's policies in Gaza and the West Bank because of its country's history under the white-dominated apartheid regime, which restricted most black people to their “homeland” until it ended in 1994. I have been comparing them for many years.
