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Another blow for Israel: The highest UN court has demanded an immediate halt to the military action in Rafah – but it cannot enforce this.
The Hague – The International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to immediately end its military operation in Rafah. With this decision, the highest court of the United Nations in The Hague complied with a demand from South Africa. According to the judges, the humanitarian situation in Rafah has become disastrous. Further measures are necessary to prevent further harm to the civilian population.
South Africa has already called for urgent action against Israel on several occasions. This is in the context of the genocide lawsuit that the country filed with the court in December. In two urgent decisions, the UN judges had already ordered Israel to do everything possible to prevent genocide and to allow humanitarian aid. According to South Africa, Israel has ignored these decisions.
Decisions of the World Court are binding. However, the UN judges have no power to force a state to implement them. They can, however, call on the UN Security Council to take action on the matter. All member states of the court are obliged to respect the decisions of the Security Council. However, it seems at least questionable whether the USA would waive its right of veto in the case of a corresponding resolution requiring Israel to withdraw from Rafah.
In its most recent urgent application on May 10, South Africa argued that the aim was to prevent genocide against Palestinians. Withdrawal from Rafah was one of the demands. South Africa justified the application by arguing that the court’s previous measures in connection with the Gaza war were not sufficient.
Israel wants to destroy last Hamas battalions in Rafah
Israel had rejected accusations of genocide in the Gaza Strip before the International Court of Justice as baseless. The accusations brought forward by South Africa were a “distortion of reality”. Israel is invoking its right to self-defense after terrorists from Hamas and other extremist groups attacked southern Israel on October 7 and killed 1,200 people. Israel wants to destroy the last remaining Hamas battalions in Rafah.
Asked on Thursday what Israel would do if the court ordered a halt to the military operation in the Gaza Strip, Israeli government spokesman Avi Hyman said: “No power in the world will stop Israel from protecting its citizens and taking action against Hamas in Gaza. We will destroy Hamas, we will restore peace and security for the people of Israel and the people of Gaza. We cannot tolerate a regime on our southern border that seeks genocide.”
Hamas welcomes decision
Hamas welcomes the International Court of Justice’s request. In a statement, it called on the international community and the United Nations to put pressure on Israel. A member of the Hamas political bureau stressed that without international pressure, the court’s decision would be ineffective.
Hamas also said it had expected the court to order an end to the Israeli military operation in the entire Gaza Strip. dpa
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