9 erring body care centers shut in Riyadh    20,000 military emblems confiscated in Riyadh    Al-Samaani visits headquarters of Hague Conference on Private International Law    KSrelief provided over $7bln to support children around the world    Al-Jasser: Saudi Arabia to expand rail network to over 8,000 km    OMODA&JAECOO: Unstoppable global cumulative sales over 360,000 units    Saudi Arabia sees 73.7% rise in investment licenses in Q3 2024    Al Hilal doesn't need extra support to bring new players, CEO says    Rust premieres at low-key film festival three years after shooting    Fate of Gaetz ethics report uncertain after congressional panel deadlocked    Ukraine fires UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles at Russia for first time    Netanyahu offers $5 million and safe passage out of Gaza to anyone returning a hostage    Indian billionaire Gautam Adani indicted in New York on fraud charges    Rafael Nadal: Farewell to the 'King of Clay'    Indonesia shocks Saudi Arabia with 2-0 victory in AFC Asian Qualifiers    Sitting too much linked to heart disease –– even if you work out    Yemeni Orchestra's captivating performances in Riyadh, showcasing shared cultural legacies    Future of Ronaldo's Al Nassr contract remains undecided, says Saudi Pro League CEO    GASTAT report: 45.1% of Saudis are overweight    Denmark's Victoria Kjær Theilvig wins Miss Universe 2024    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Top UN court stops short of ordering Gaza ceasefire
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 26 - 01 - 2024

The UN's top court ordered Israel to "take all measures" to prevent genocide in Gaza, but stopped short of calling for Israel to suspend its military campaign in the war-torn enclave.
In a hearing in The Hague, the Netherlands, on Friday, the International Court of Justice said Israel must limit the death and destruction caused by its military campaign, as well as prevent and punish incitement to genocide, and to ensure the provision of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
South Africa had accused Israel of violating international laws on genocide in its war in Gaza, and wanted the court to order a halt in fighting.
Friday's decision related only to South Africa's request for emergency measures, which act like a restraining order while the Court considers the full merits of the genocide case, which could take years.
"The catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is at serious risk of deteriorating further before the Court renders its final judgment," Judge Joan Donoghue, the Court's president, said Friday.
The Court's 17-judge panel issued six emergency measures, ordering Israel to "take all measures within its power" to prevent acts which could fall foul of the Genocide Convention, and saying it must "ensure with immediate effect that its military does not commit" any genocidal acts.
The Court also ordered Israel to "prevent and punish the direct and public incitement to commit genocide," as well as to "ensure the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance" in Gaza.
It said Israel must also preserve evidence related to allegations of genocide and submit a report in a month's time on its compliance with these measures.
The Court's decisions are binding and cannot be appealed, but it has no way of enforcing them. Israel earlier indicated it would not accept the ICJ's orders.
The Court's panel ordinarily comprises 15 judges, but was expanded in this case by additional judges from South Africa and Israel.
Israel's judge Aharon Barak, an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor and former president of the country's Supreme Court, voted in favor of two of the emergency measures, ordering Israel to curb incitements to genocide and to ensure aid can enter the enclave.
Apart from its call for a halt in fighting, the bulk of South Africa's nine requests to the Court were met.
Despite this, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the ruling as a rejection of discrimination against his country.
"Like every country, Israel has an inherent right to defend itself," he said in a short video message. "The vile attempt to deny Israel this fundamental right is blatant discrimination against the Jewish state, and it was justly rejected."
But legal experts have said that, while the Court did not grant the most explosive of South Africa's requests, in finding that Israel is "plausibly" violating laws on genocide, its decision is damning.
"Even though it is not a definitive verdict, it is a very significant rebuke for the armed forces of a democratic state that sometimes says it has the most moral army in the world," Janina Dill, co-director at Oxford University's Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict, told CNN.
South Africa said it was "disappointed" that the Court did not order a ceasefire, but said it believes that Israel will have to observe one if it is to comply with the other measures ordered.
"Israel has very powerful friends who I hope will advise Israel," Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor added, without specifying, having held a call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday. The US is Israel's major ally.
In the initial hearing two weeks ago, South Africa said Israel's leadership was "intent on destroying the Palestinians as a group in Gaza," and that its aerial and ground assaults aimed to "bring about the destruction" of Palestinians in the enclave.
South Africa and Israel are both parties to the Genocide Convention, meaning they are obliged not to commit genocide and to prevent and punish it.
Israel reacted furiously to the accusation and rejected what it called South Africa's "grossly distorted story," telling the court its war in Gaza was fought in self-defense, that it was targeting Hamas rather than Palestinian civilians, and that its leadership had not displayed genocidal intent.
It said the accusation of genocide was an attempt to "pervert the meaning" of the term and empty it of its "unique force."
Israel claimed if genocidal acts had been committed, they were "perpetrated against Israel" on October 7, when Hamas fighters stormed into the country from Gaza, killing more than 1,200 people and taking 240 hostage, according to Israeli officials. Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza has since killed more than 26,000 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the enclave. — CNN


Clic here to read the story from its source.