Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 26th Jan. International Court of Justice on Thursday announced that it is due to issue an emergency measures order on Friday related to South Africa’s accusations of genocide by the Israeli military in Gaza, which Israel strongly denied.
South Africa asked the Court – a principal organ of the UN to indicate provisional measures in order to “protect against further severe and irreparable harm to the rights of the Palestinian people under the Genocide Convention”.
The measures South Africa has asked for are the immediate suspension of military operations by Israel in the Strip, and that its forces take “all reasonable measures” to prevent genocide.
It also asked the world court to order Israel to prevent forced displacement, allow adequate food and water to reach civilians and ensure that evidence of any potential genocide is preserved.
Provisional measures are a type of temporary injunction or holding measure ahead of a final decision on the dispute. It is likely to take years before a judgement is reached.
The measures are considered mandatory for implementation, but the Court has no means of enforcing them.
Israel argued that the war on Hamas was one purely of defence and “not against the Palestinian people”.
Lawyers for Israel said that provisional measures, if granted, would amount to “an attempt to deny Israel its ability to meet its obligations to the defence of its citizens, to the hostages and to over 110,000 displaced Israelis”.
