By: Natasha Archary

South Africa has welcomed the decision by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the genocide case against Israel.
On Friday, 26 January the ICJ ordered that Israel ensure with immediate effect that its military does not commit any of the following acts, as described in point 1 of the order:
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 order was sanctioned with fifteen votes to two, and the decision by the ICJ was hailed as a decisive victory for the international rule of law and a significant milestone in the search of justice for the Palestinian people.
“In a landmark ruling, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has determined that Israel’s actions in Gaza are plausibly genocidal and has indicated provisional measures on that basis.
For the implementation of the international rule of law, the decision is a momentous one. South Africa thanks the Court for its swift ruling.”
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) said the provisional measures are directly binding on Israel, which is required pursuant to the Court’s order and to the Genocide Convention itself, to stop all acts by it that are plausibly genocidal, such as those raised by South Africa in its Application and request for the indication of provisional measures.
South Africa will continue to act within the institutions of global governance to protect the rights, including the fundamental right to life of Palestinians in Gaza.
To be clear…the #ICJ has effectively ordered an immediate ceasefire & for #Israel to halt military operations. The order: “The state of Israel shall ensure WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT that its MILITARY does NOT commit any acts described in point 1. These are: a) Killing of members… pic.twitter.com/pAIVGtUiCp
— Clayson Monyela (@ClaysonMonyela) January 26, 2024
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