The Hague — SA asked the top UN court yesterday to order a halt to the Rafah offensive as part of its case in The Hague accusing Israel of genocide, saying the country “must be stopped” to ensure the survival of the Palestinian people.
The hearings at the International Court of Justice, also known as the World Court, come after SA last week asked for additional emergency measures to protect Rafah, a southern Gaza city where more than a million Palestinians have been sheltering.
It also asked the court to order Israel to allow unimpeded access to Gaza for UN officials, organisations providing humanitarian aid, and journalists and investigators. It added that Israel has so far ignored and violated earlier court orders.
Israel's military campaign has targeted children and woman, destroyed civilian infrastructure and starved the population, said Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, attorney for SA.
“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,” he said.
“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,” said Adila Hassim, another lawyer for SA.
Israel, which has denounced SA's claim that it is violating the 1949 Genocide Convention as baseless, will respond today. In previous filings it stressed it had stepped up efforts to get humanitarian aid into Gaza as the ICJ had ordered.
SA's attorney Max du Plessis said Israel's declared safe zones were a “cruel distortion” because people were often too starved to flee. Those strong enough to leave were sometimes attacked by Israeli forces.
“There is nothing humanitarian about these humanitarian zones,” he said. “Israel's genocide of Palestinians continues through military attacks and man-made starvation.”
Gilad Erdan, Israel's ambassador to the UN told Army Radio on Wednesday the short notice the court gave for the hearings did not allow sufficient legal preparation, adding that was “a telling sign”.
Nearly 35,000 people in Gaza have been killed since October 7, according to health authorities.
In January, the court ordered Israel to ensure its troops commit no genocidal acts against Palestinians in Gaza, allow in more humanitarian aid and preserve any evidence of violations.
The hearings, which started yesterday and will continue today, will only focus on issuing emergency measures to keep the dispute from escalating. It will likely take years before the court can rule on the merits of the case.
The ICJ's rulings and orders are binding and without appeal. While the court has no way to enforce them, an order against a country could hurt its international reputation and set legal precedent. — Reuters
Israel must be stopped in Rafah, SA tells World Court
Short notice to respond is a telling sign - Israel
Image: Yves Herman
The Hague — SA asked the top UN court yesterday to order a halt to the Rafah offensive as part of its case in The Hague accusing Israel of genocide, saying the country “must be stopped” to ensure the survival of the Palestinian people.
The hearings at the International Court of Justice, also known as the World Court, come after SA last week asked for additional emergency measures to protect Rafah, a southern Gaza city where more than a million Palestinians have been sheltering.
It also asked the court to order Israel to allow unimpeded access to Gaza for UN officials, organisations providing humanitarian aid, and journalists and investigators. It added that Israel has so far ignored and violated earlier court orders.
Israel's military campaign has targeted children and woman, destroyed civilian infrastructure and starved the population, said Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, attorney for SA.
“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,” he said.
“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,” said Adila Hassim, another lawyer for SA.
Israel, which has denounced SA's claim that it is violating the 1949 Genocide Convention as baseless, will respond today. In previous filings it stressed it had stepped up efforts to get humanitarian aid into Gaza as the ICJ had ordered.
SA's attorney Max du Plessis said Israel's declared safe zones were a “cruel distortion” because people were often too starved to flee. Those strong enough to leave were sometimes attacked by Israeli forces.
“There is nothing humanitarian about these humanitarian zones,” he said. “Israel's genocide of Palestinians continues through military attacks and man-made starvation.”
Gilad Erdan, Israel's ambassador to the UN told Army Radio on Wednesday the short notice the court gave for the hearings did not allow sufficient legal preparation, adding that was “a telling sign”.
Nearly 35,000 people in Gaza have been killed since October 7, according to health authorities.
In January, the court ordered Israel to ensure its troops commit no genocidal acts against Palestinians in Gaza, allow in more humanitarian aid and preserve any evidence of violations.
The hearings, which started yesterday and will continue today, will only focus on issuing emergency measures to keep the dispute from escalating. It will likely take years before the court can rule on the merits of the case.
The ICJ's rulings and orders are binding and without appeal. While the court has no way to enforce them, an order against a country could hurt its international reputation and set legal precedent. — Reuters
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