The International Court of Justice ordered Israel to take measures to prevent genocide in Gaza and direct incitement to it, as it rejected – in its ruling issued today, Friday – the Israeli request to dismiss the lawsuit brought by South Africa.
A large majority of members of the court’s 17-judge panel voted in favor of taking urgent measures that meet most of what South Africa requested, with the exception of directing an order to stop the war on Gaza.
The court said in the text read by the judges that Israel must take “all measures within its power to prevent the commission of all acts within the scope of Article II of the Genocide Convention.”
The court stated that it recognizes the right of Palestinians in Gaza to protection from acts of genocide, stressing that the conditions are available to impose temporary measures on Israel.
The court added that Israel must commit to avoiding everything related to killing, assault and destruction against the residents of Gaza and to ensure the immediate provision of urgent humanitarian needs in the Strip.
Also under the ruling, Israel must submit a report to the court within a month on all interim measures.
The court said that Israel must immediately ensure that its army does not commit the aforementioned violations.
South Africa welcomes
South Africa, the plaintiff, welcomed the temporary measures imposed by the court on Israel, describing the ruling as “a decisive victory for the rule of law and an important turning point in the search for justice for the Palestinian people.”
South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor said – in a press conference in front of the court’s headquarters in The Hague – that her country did everything necessary to protect the lives of thousands of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
But she added, “We would have liked the court to issue a ceasefire decision in Gaza.”
