The United Nations Supreme Court on Friday announced a preliminary ruling in a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide over its ground invasion of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
In this ruling, the International Court of Justice refused to order Israel to cease military operations in Gaza, but the Israeli military must continue to comply with the Genocide Convention by taking all measures to prevent civilian deaths. said.
ICJ President Joan E. Donahue, who read the long-awaited decision, said Israel must continue its aid to Gaza while seeking further opportunities to assist Palestinian civilians.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in response to the ICJ's preliminary ruling that “Israel's commitment to international law is unwavering. Equally unwavering is our sacred commitment to defend our country and continue to protect its people.” Ta. “Israel, like any other nation, has the inherent right to defend itself. Any despicable attempt to deny Israel this fundamental right is blatant discrimination against the Jewish state and is rightly rejected. ”
Israel seeks self-defense after South Africa's genocide accusation filed in international court
September 19, 2023, The Peace Palace, home to the World Court, in The Hague, Netherlands. Israel is sending top legal experts, including Holocaust survivors, to The Hague this week to counter allegations that it is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. . (AP Photo/Peter DeJong)
According to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, the ICJ ordered Hamas to immediately release all remaining hostages. It is not immediately clear whether Hamas will comply.
The court also gave Israel one month to submit a plan to the ICJ to ensure the prevention of deaths in Gaza.
Finally, the court confirmed that it has jurisdiction over South Africa's genocide case against Israel and will allow the case to proceed.
People hold Israeli flags during a protest against humanitarian aid to Gaza and the hostage exchange agreement with Hamas in Jerusalem, Israel, Thursday, January 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
The case could take years before the 17-judge panel makes a final decision.
South Africa's genocide lawsuit against Israel begins high-stakes legal battle at UN Supreme Court
Israel strongly denies that the operation in Gaza aimed at eradicating the terrorist organization Hamas amounts to genocide, and has asked the court to throw out the lawsuit.
Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated those comments on Friday.
“The accusations of genocide against Israel are not only false, they are outrageous and should be rejected by decent people around the world,” the prime minister said. “On the eve of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, as Prime Minister of Israel, I pledge once again to never do it again. Israel will continue to defend itself against the genocidal terrorist organization Hamas.”
It added: “On October 7, Hamas committed the most horrific atrocities against the Jewish people since the Holocaust and vowed to repeat these atrocities over and over again.” Our war is against Hamas terrorists, not against Palestinian civilians. We will continue to advance humanitarian assistance and do everything in our power to keep civilians out of harm's way, despite Hamas' use of civilians as human shields. We will continue to do what is necessary to protect our country and protect our people. ”
Anne Baevsky, director of the Touro Institute for Human Rights and the Holocaust, told Fox News Digital that Friday's ruling reflects the United Nations' latest efforts to undermine Israel.
“Hamas is celebrating the court's decision. That says a lot,” she said. “The UN tribunal, relying entirely on complaints from other members of the UN, has turned itself into an echo chamber for the UN’s political mob. It relied on the Secretary-General to claim that atrocities were committed against Jews, as it was necessary to contextualize the Holocaust. ”
“This incident was a continuation of a massive UN effort from the beginning to undermine Israel's ability to exercise self-defense against Hamas's genocide against Jews. Logic, reason. , it is a perversion of justice,” Baevsky continued. . “One obvious example: the court cited the United Nations figure that “25,000 people were killed'' in Gaza, but it also said that the source of that figure was Hamas itself. , nor does it say that the majority of those killed were terrorists themselves. I want you to remember this. “The United Nations has no definition of terrorism because the ruling majority does not consider the slaughter of Israelis to be terrorism. If you can bend it, all decent people lose.”
“The court had many ways to reject this affront to South African law and morals, but it chose not to,” she argued.
Israeli troops move near the Gaza Strip border in southern Israel on Thursday, January 25, 2024. The military is fighting Palestinian militants across Gaza in a war that began with Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Ahead of Friday's preliminary ruling, an Israeli official told The Associated Press that Israeli officials were prepared for “all scenarios.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu joined top legal, diplomatic and security officials on Thursday to discuss the ruling. He also met with the Military Council later that day.
Israeli government spokesman Eilon Levy said Israel expects the court to throw out the case before a verdict is rendered.
“We expect the ICJ to dismiss these spurious charges,” Levy said Thursday.
South Africa argued in its lawsuit that the high death toll of Palestinians in Gaza and the intensity of Israel's war on Gaza amounted to genocide, and asked the judge “as a matter of extreme urgency” to impose interim measures. A preliminary hearing was requested. Protect civilian lives. South Africa also asked the court to order Israel to “immediately cease military operations in and against Gaza.”
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On Thursday, South Africa's Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the court: “Israel must immediately suspend its military operations in Gaza, take reasonable steps to prevent a genocide of Palestinians, and ensure that displaced people return to their homes and find safe It announced that it is seeking an interim ruling to allow access to the location. Humanitarian assistance, including adequate food, water, fuel, medical supplies, hygiene products, shelter, and clothing. ”
Palestinians try to put out a fire at a UNRWA vocational training center building used as a shelter for displaced people after it was attacked by an Israeli tank battery in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, January 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramez Haboob)
Israel first invaded Gaza on October 7, when Hamas, the terrorist group that rules the area, launched a deadly surprise attack on communities in the Israeli border area, killing around 1,200 people and abducting another 250. It was after
According to the Ministry of Health, more than 26,000 Palestinians were killed during the war. The Hamas-run ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its death toll.
Fox News' Ben Evansky, Yonat Friling and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
