The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague on Thursday granted additional measures against Israel at the request of South Africa, ordering Jerusalem to take “immediate and effective” steps to increase the provision of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.
The ruling orders Israel to take “all necessary and effective measures to ensure, without delay, in full cooperation with the United Nations, the unhindered provision at scale by all concerned of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance to Palestinians throughout Gaza.”
The fresh ICJ order calls on the Jewish state to ensure that Palestinian civilians in the Strip get access to additional “food, water, fuel, shelter, clothing, hygiene and sanitation requirements, alongside medical assistance, including medical supplies and support.” It also demands “increasing the capacity and number of land crossing points and maintaining them open for as long as necessary” and orders Israel to report on its compliance within a month.
The top U.N. court said it had come to Thursday’s 14-page decision in light of Israel’s “obligations under the Genocide Convention, and in view of the worsening conditions of life faced by Palestinians in Gaza, in particular the spread of famine and starvation.”
Over the last five months, Israel has allowed nearly 14,000 aid trucks into Gaza—an average of about 2,800 a month, 665 a week. Some 126 food trucks currently enter Gaza daily.
COGAT, the body responsible for implementing the Israeli government’s civilian policy in the enclave, has stated that “there is no limit to the amount of aid that can enter Gaza.”
Israel and the United States hold Hamas responsible for the situation. According to the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), the terror group diverts at least 60% of the goods entering Gaza for its own purposes.
In its March 6 request, South Africa declared that it was “compelled to return to the Court in light of the new facts and changes in the situation in Gaza—particularly the situation of widespread starvation,” according to a statement on the ICJ’s website. Pretoria blamed the alleged starvation on Israel’s “egregious breaches of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.” Israel and S.A. are signatories to the convention.
In December, S.A. charged Israel with genocide at the ICJ. Public hearings were held on Jan. 11 and 12. On Jan. 26, the court rejected Pretoria’s request to order a halt to Israel’s war against Hamas.
In its provisional ruling, the high court also dismissed S.A.’s demand that residents of the northern Strip be allowed to return to the area immediately while insisting that the Jewish state take all necessary means to prevent military actions that could possibly lead to genocide.
A final decision from the court could take years. The orders are binding under international law, yet the court lacks enforcement mechanisms.
Israel has been at war with Hamas since the terrorist group invaded the northwestern Negev on Oct. 7, murdering 1,200 people, wounding thousands more and kidnapping 253.
Israel’s stated military goals are to destroy Hamas as a political and military entity in Gaza, free the hostages. JNS
Maybe that was tough guys could order Hamas to release the hostages oh, I forgot they only have big miles when it comes to Jews
Maybe they also have a few words to Russia regarding Ukraine or maybe they have a few words from North Korea as well or iran
it’s so interesting that south africa feels so connected to the palestinians.?!
ma ichpat lahem??
“The fresh ICJ order calls on the Jewish state to ensure that…”
The State is Zionist, not Jewish.
That is EXACTLY the extremely difficult problem!! This modern state was originally conceived by Jews, it was founded by Jews, it has been continually run by Jews, it has very many Jewish aspects and Jewish symbols, and, probably most overall important, it has always been presented to everyone as being a “Jewish Country” and a “Jewish Homeland.”
Very, very tragically though, most of the Jews who were involved in its conception and its foundation and have been continually involved in its administration are Jews who, very very tragically, do not follow very much of Judaism. And therefore, a very large amount of what Jews there (in both its government and its general society), very very tragically, have done and currently do — not recognition of Hashem, not keeping Shabbos & Yom Tov, not eating Kosher, putting women in the army and other non-decencies, rampart promotion of abortion, rampart promotion of Toeiva & the most extreme degrees of Toeiva, wrongly killing people who are not a threat to anyone — is all the EXTREME EXACT OPPOSITE of Judaism!!
So, while it is presented as a “Jewish Country,” in very many ways, it is really, very, very tragically, a very “UN-Jewish Country”!!