On December 29, 2023, the Republic of South Africa charged Israel with violating the United Nation’s Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in regards to its assault on the population of Gaza. On January 26, 2024 the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that claims of genocide against Israel are plausible and that the killing of Palestinians in Gaza must end. Despite attempts to obfuscate or to claim an Israeli victory, the meaning of the court ruling could not have been clearer.
The ICJ did not use the word “ceasefire” as many people had hoped, but judges did say that the killing must stop. The court did not dismiss the case as Israel asked it to do. All of the parsing in the world cannot dispute the court’s determination.
The Court considers that, with regard to the situation described above, Israel must, in accordance with its obligations under the Genocide Convention, in relation to Palestinians in Gaza, take all measures within its power to prevent the commission of all acts within the scope of Article II of this Convention, in particular: (a) killing members of the group; (b) causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; (c) deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; and (d) imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group. The Court recalls that these acts fall within the scope of Article II of the........© Eurasia Review