NOURNEWS: The two-day meetings of the International Criminal Court began on Thursday to examine a case filed by South Africa, accusing the Zionist regime of genocide. In response to the accusations, the Zionist regime described South Africa’s claim regarding violation of the 1949 Genocide Convention as baseless on Friday.
South Africa’s request from The Hague
South Africa asked for additional emergency measures to protect Rafah. Rafah is the southernmost part of Gaza and has a joint border with Egypt, where more than 1.5 million war-stricken Palestinians are sheltering. Despite international protests, the army of the Zionist regime has initiated attacks on the suburban areas of Rafah.
The legal team of South Africa told The Hague that military attacks by the Zionists have martyred over 10,000 children and women, destroyed civilian structures, and kept the population of Gaza hungry. Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, one of the members of the legal team of South Africa, said that “From the onset Israel’s intent was always to destroy Palestinian life and to wipe them off the face of the earth. Rafah is the final stand.” Adila Hassim, another member of the legal team, said that “Israel must be stopped. South Africa is before you again today to respectfully ask the court to invoke its powers … to order a remedy that will stop Israel.”
South Africa also asked the court to order Israel to allow unimpeded access to Gaza for U.N. officials, organizations providing humanitarian aid, journalists, and investigators.
Arab League
Simultaneously with the handling of this case, the Arab League called for the deployment of United Nations peacekeeping forces in the occupied Palestinian territories until the implementation of the two-state solution. The leaders of the 22 member countries of the Arab League, in the final statement of their meeting in Manama on Thursday, stated that they recognize "Fatah," the Palestine Liberation Organization, as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinians and called on all Palestinian factions to unite under this organization.
Zionist regime’s response
In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Zionist regime posted on social media, stating: "The claims made by South Africa are distorted both morally and factually, and the Israeli army adheres to international laws." The statement also claimed that simultaneous with the attack on Rafah, measures were being taken to minimize harm to civilians while continuing the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. With this claim, it urged judges to reject South Africa's requests.
The court’s response
However, in response to these claims, South African prosecutor Max du Plessis stated that the humanitarian zones declared by the Israeli regime, areas where Palestinians were instructed to go to avoid military operations, were a "brutal distortion" because people were often too hungry to flee. Those who were strong enough to reach the shelters were attacked by Israeli forces. He said, "There is nothing humane about these humanitarian zones. The genocide of Palestinians by the Zionists continues through military attacks and man-made starvation."
Palestinian health officials announced on Thursday that at least 35,272 Palestinians have been killed in the seven-month-long attack by the Israeli regime on the Gaza Strip.
What will the court do?
This week's sessions will focus solely on issuing emergency measures, as it will likely take years for the court to make a decision on the main genocide charge. In January, the court ordered the Israeli regime to ensure that its soldiers do not engage in any acts of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and do not obstruct the delivery of humanitarian aid.
The rulings and orders of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) are binding and without appeal. However, the court does not have an enforcement arm to ensure compliance. Nevertheless, its rulings can create international disrepute and establish a legal precedent for condemnation.
NOURNEWS