NEW YORK, Saturday, January 27, 2024 (WAFA) - The UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People welcomed the Order of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to South Africa’s application, issuing provisional measures in accordance with Israel’s obligations under the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide requiring Israel to “take all measures within its power to prevent the commission of all acts within the scope of Article II of this Convention.” Israel must ensure that “its military does not commit any” genocidal acts in Gaza, said the UN Committee in a statement.
The Court confirmed it has jurisdiction in the case, recognizing that the “civilian population in the Gaza Strip remains extremely vulnerable because of Israel’s recurring use of brutal force against the Palestinian people". It directed Israel to “take immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance.
Israel’s relentless and indiscriminate aggression on the besieged Gaza Strip has resulted in over 26,000 Palestinians killed, the majority of whom were children and women, and more than 63,740 were wounded. Over 360,000 homes were destroyed or damaged, in addition to the destructiion caused to vital civilian infrastructure. Approximately 1.9 million persons have been forcibly displaced and are suffering a humanitarian catastrophe, including starvation and the spread of diseases, said the statement.
Israel must implement the binding provisional measures to prevent further harm to the Palestinian civilian population. The Court also ordered Israel to “prevent and punish the direct and public incitement to commit genocide” against the Palestinian people and submit within one month a report on measures taken.
The Bureau called on the UN Security Council to ensure the implementation of the Court’s Order, as well as General Assembly resolutions ES-10/21 and ES-10/22 and Security Council Resolutions (2712) and (2720) of 2023.
“An immediate ceasefire is needed to implement the provisional measures indicated by the Court.”
The Committee Bureau reiterated its longstanding call for a just and peaceful resolution to the question of Palestine, in accordance with international law and the relevant United Nations resolutions, that ends the Israeli occupation, realizes the rights of the Palestinian people, including to self-determination and right to return and achieves the Two-State solution on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Palestine.
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