International Court of Justice orders Israel to prevent genocide

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THE HAGUE–In a preliminary ruling released Friday, the International Court of Justice refused to dismiss South Africa’s genocide case against Israel and ordered the Israeli government to take all measures to prevent genocide.

In the highly anticipated ruling, the ICJ acknowledged that acts committed by IDF in Gaza could plausibily constitute genocide, but stopped short of demanding an immediate ceasefire.

“At least some of the acts and omissions alleged by South Africa have been committed by Israel in Gaza appear to be capable of falling within the provisions of the Convention,” said presiding Judge Joan Donahue, a former U.S. State Department official.

The ICJ ordered Israel to prevent any acts of genocide and to punish any incitements of genocide from soldiers or Israeli officials. The court has ordered Israel to report back within a month. Additionally, the court ordered Israel to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and to do more to protect Palestinian civilians.

The ICJ also ordered the unconditional release of all hostages held in Gaza. The full case on whether Israel has committed genocide could take years.

International Court of Justice rules on Israel

The ruling marked an “important reminder” that no state is above international law, the Palestinian foreign ministry said in a statement, Al Jazeera reported.

South Africa, which brought the case before the court, called the ruling a “decisive victory.”

Meanwhile, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir mocked the ICJ ruling in a post on X, saying “Hague shmague.”

In a video following the ruling, Israeli Prime Minister vowed to continue defend its citizens while respecting international law. However, the prime minister has already rejected the possibility of a two-state solution and previously slammed the genocide case as “outrageous.”

While the ruling is legally binding, it’s unclear how it will be enforced. In an interview with White House National Security Council Coordinator John Kirby on Wednesday, he declined to say whether the U.S. would respect Friday’s ruling.

“I don’t wanna get ahead of process here and where things are going with the ICJ. We’ll let that process play out,” Kirby told the Black Wall St. Times.