Judges at the International Court of Justice will rule on Friday whether or not they will grant emergency measures against Israel following accusations by South Africa that the Israeli military operation in Gaza is a state-led genocide. The United Nations' top court issued a statement on Wednesday saying the 17-judge panel will hand down its ruling in court on Jan. 26 at 1200 GMT. (Reuters)
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The deliberations in the court may last a long time but the South Africans were interested in compelling Israel to stop its fighting in an injunction from the court. If one is issued, Israel would choose not to respect it and could face sanctions and international isolation.
South Africa asked for the court to intervene on matters including a cease-fire, withdrawal of troops from Gaza, ending all military operations, allowing unlimited supplies of aid, a full report of compliance to the court, allowing investigative teams into the area, and avoiding any measures against those calling it a genocidal state, among other things.
South Africa claimed that Israel has deliberately imposed conditions on Gaza that cannot sustain life and are calculated to bring about physical destruction. Israel was also accused of deliberately starving the Gazan population and preventing medical care from those in need.
Among other accusations, South Africa said Israel was attempting to control population growth by targeting pregnant women and preventing safe births.
The South Africans said it was evident that Israel was in violation of international law and that the destruction in Gaza was cause for celebration for its military
Israel rejected the accusations and said the IDF was making every effort to prevent civilian casualties while the Gaza ruling Hamas terror group was using the residents of Gaza as human shields.
The Israeli delegation said that they were being accused of causing unprecedented suffering in Gaza without mentioning the atrocities committed by the Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists on October 7, which were truly unprecedented horrors. They said South Africa has boasted its ties with Hamas.
The delegation said it had made its case to the court but feared that political considerations would paly a part in the judges' decisions.