ICJ ruling puts Israel on the clock; raises heat on Biden

The International Court of Justice ruled Friday that Israel must do more to protect civilians in the Gaza Strip during its war with Hamas, pending reporting its plans to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government. He was given a one-month grace period.

The schedule poses a major test for President Biden's support for Israel's war as international pressure for a ceasefire mounts, especially as the United States presses other countries to respect international tribunal decisions.

“The United States will find it difficult to accept non-compliance by Israel. [on the ICJ panel] “Because we participated in what was essentially a consensus decision, and because the United States has strongly supported the court's interim orders in Ukraine, Myanmar, and Syria,” said Stephen Rapp, who served as the U.S. ambassador for war crimes during the Obama administration. He writes: Email The Hill.

“Israel takes this case very seriously because the court's order has real-world consequences. If Israel does not comply with the order, it will , the Israeli government may be treated as a pariah.”

Friday's ruling did not explicitly call for a ceasefire, one of the demands of South Africa, which brought genocide charges to the ICJ.

However, South Africa's Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor said in a speech after the ruling that only a ceasefire would fulfill the court's obligations.

“I believe there needs to be a ceasefire in order for the order to be enforced. Without a ceasefire, the order doesn't really work.” she said.

“The fact that we provide humanitarian aid, the fact that we take steps to reduce the level of harm to people who have no role in what Israel is fighting for, requires a ceasefire for me.”

The president and his senior aides said forcing Israel to end its war against Hamas would allow the designated terrorist organization to repeat the shocking and brutal October 7 attack unscathed. An estimated 1,200 people were massacred in the attack, and more than 100 remain victims.

He was taken hostage in Gaza.

But the administration has called on Israel to do more to protect civilians, with mass destruction, displacement, disease, famine and starvation, and an estimated death toll of more than 26,000 people in the Gaza Strip. Israel claims at least 9,000 Hamas fighters have been killed. included in that number.

The U.S. position increasingly contrasts with that of its European allies, a vocal minority of Democrats, progressive officials in the administration and protesters who have dogged Biden on the campaign trail.

The administration said Friday that the ICJ's ruling is consistent with the White House's position.

“I think the court's decision is consistent with much of our position and much of the approach we have taken toward Israel,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby said.

But he disputed the core of South Africa's efforts to condemn Israel's genocide at the ICJ.

“I have never seen any indication that the Israeli Defense Forces are getting up from their racks every day, putting their boots on the floor, and saying their goal is to do everything in their power to exterminate the Palestinian people,” Kirby said. “They are trying to eliminate the Hamas threat.”

Still, the Biden administration has so far rejected efforts, especially at rallies. United Nations Security Council, to impose action on Israel. The United States at least twice exercised the right to veto vetoing a resolution forcing Israel to comply with a humanitarian ceasefire;

The United States insists Israel has the right to self-defense and opposes a full ceasefire that would allow Hamas to rebuild, but the White House has called for a so-called “humanitarian moratorium” to allow for increased aid to civilians. ” was claimed. As part of the hostage recovery effort in Gaza.

But critics of the U.S. position argue that Israel's military operations are so destructive that only a ceasefire can provide immediate relief to Gaza's more than 2 million residents.

And they went on to point to the court's ruling that some of the acts and allegations outlined by South Africa in the lawsuit “appear to be likely to fall within the provisions of the Convention” on the prevention and punishment of crimes, and the U.S. opposes military aid to Israel. The crime of genocide.

Celeste Kmiotek, staff attorney for the Atlantic Council's Strategic Litigation Project, said: Said The discovery “focuses attention on other countries, those that are offering assistance to Israel.”

Nadia Dahl, Amnesty International USA's chief strategy and impact officer, said the ruling “should be a wake-up call to the Biden administration to stop sending arms to Israel or risk collusion.” Ta. Failure to halt such arms transfers could result in the United States violating the court's preliminary measures to prevent genocide. ”

Raed Jalal, advocacy director at Democracy for the Arab World Now, said the ICJ's ruling “establishes that it is at least plausible that Israel is committing genocide, and that it is not a genocide against the Palestinian people.” “This is a pivotal moment in our efforts to stop it.”

“Today's ruling establishes that a real risk, if not actual fact, of genocide exists. The Biden administration cannot continue providing blank check support for Israeli military operations in Gaza.” continued Mr. Jarrah.

Biden's decision to refuse to urge Israel to ceasefire sparked a backlash on the campaign trail, with demonstrators ambushed and disrupted the president's events.

Abdullah H. Hammoud, the mayor of Dearborn, Michigan, who represents a majority of Arab and Democratic voters, said he refused to meet with Biden campaign staff on Friday because of the administration's refusal to push for a ceasefire. Ta.

“Our immediate demands are crystal clear: The Biden administration must seek a permanent ceasefire against the genocide that our tax dollars defend and fund. Dearborn residents call for a ceasefire. “As their mayor, I will follow their lead,” he said. I wrote to Xformerly Twitter.

And within the administration, a group of anonymous staffers say they support a ceasefire rather than resign in protest and are working to bring about change within the White House.

“President Biden has said he will bring humanity to our foreign policy, but more than 25,000 people have been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children,” officials said in a statement Thursday.

“There is no justification for this level of destruction, this level of terrorism. We unequivocally call on you to demand a ceasefire. We ask you all to cease complicity in this atrocity. I ask.”

Although a majority of Congress opposes forcing a ceasefire on Israel, Democrats in the House and Senate have argued for a number of issues, ranging from calls for a full ceasefire to increased oversight of U.S. military aid and sales to Israel. They have expressed concerns about implementation.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) is pushing senators to join him on legislation that would strengthen Congressional oversight of U.S. arms sales to foreign militaries, which the Biden administration plans to pass on Oct. 1. This is in response to the fact that he has since bypassed Congress twice over arms sales to Israel. 7.

A total of 22 Senate Democrats have signed the amendment, and Kaine is considering attaching it to Biden's national security supplement request, which includes about $15 billion in aid to Israel.

“There is growing support for a common-sense proposal that requires the administration to notify Congress when transferring military aid to any country,” Kaine said in a statement.

“The American people and their representatives in Congress are entitled to transparency on these important issues. No president of any party should bypass Congress on matters of war, peace, or foreign affairs.”

Additionally, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) is working to add an amendment that would require U.S. military aid to other countries to be used in accordance with international humanitarian law. As of January 19th, the bill has 18 sponsors.

It is expected that it will take years for the ICJ to issue a final and complete verdict on whether Israel has committed genocide against the Palestinian people.

Supporters of Israel's right to self-defense against Hamas argue that the ICJ's initial ruling did not cause much damage, but was a warning shot.

“Thankfully, Israel avoided the worst ICJ verdict in a defamatory genocide case, but this should not be celebrated as vindication,” said Robert Satloff, executive director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. I wrote to X.

“The depth of concern about non-combatant deaths and the humanitarian situation is real, even among friends, and will have political consequences.”