The International Court of Justice is set to announce its decision today (Friday) on South Africa’s request for emergency measures to halt the war in Gaza.
The question that arises after the ruling is who will enforce the decision of the International Court of Justice?
For instance, if the ICJ holds guilty Israel of genocide in Gaza, the complainant, South Africa will decide the United Nations Security Council.
However, in the UN Security Council, the United States can veto the resolution of the United Nations, leaving the whole exercise in futility. This seems to be the core point of discussion at the moment at the international level.
Meanwhile, the South African Justice Ministry spokesperson, Chrispin Phiri, mentioned on X that the court is expected to deliver the judgment today.
A South African government delegation has arrived in The Hague in anticipation of the judgment.
More than a dozen countries in the world, including Brazil, Iran, Turkey, Indonesia, Pakistan and others have supported South Africa’s complaint against Israeli genocide in Gaza.
Earlier in the month, South Africa urged the ICJ to issue an emergency suspension of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, accusing it of state-led genocide.
Israel has refuted the genocide allegations, asserting its right to self-defense and clarifying its focus on targeting Hamas rather than Palestinian civilians.
The initial ruling by the ICJ will not address the main question of whether Israel is committing genocide.
ICJ orders Israel to avoid genocide in Gaza
The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the United Nations’ top court, has issued a landmark order directing Israel to implement measures to prevent and penalize direct incitement of genocide in its actions during the conflict in Gaza. The court’s ruling stipulates that Israel must take all necessary actions within its power to prevent the commission of acts falling within the scope of Article II of the Genocide Convention.
The 17-judge panel of the ICJ, in a sweeping decision, voted for urgent measures that align with most of the requests made by South Africa, a notable exception being the absence of an order to cease Israeli military operations in Gaza.
While the court refrained from demanding a halt to military actions, it specifically instructed Israel to abstain from engaging in any acts that could be construed as falling under the Genocide Convention.
The ruling also imposes a responsibility on Israel to ensure that its military personnel refrain from committing any acts that could be deemed genocidal in Gaza. This comprehensive directive underscores the ICJ’s commitment to addressing the severity of the situation and preventing the incitement and commission of acts that may constitute genocide in the conflict zone.
I am an experienced writer, analyst, and author. My exposure in English journalism spans more than 28 years. In the past, I have been working with daily The Muslim (Lahore Bureau), daily Business Recorder (Lahore/Islamabad Bureaus), Daily Times, Islamabad, daily The Nation (Lahore and Karachi). With daily The Nation, I have served as Resident Editor, Karachi. Since 2009, I have been working as a Freelance Writer/Editor for American organizations.
