On the International Court of Justice ruling vs. Israel
Bayan welcomes the ruling of the International Court of Justice granting the provisional measures sought by South Africa against Israel to protect the Palestinians in Gaza against genocide. The ICJ did not dismiss the case and has affirmed its jurisdiction, in opposition to Israel’s demands to junk the case. Israel is now on trial for the crime of genocide. It is a historic moment in the long march to freedom for Palestinians.
The ICJ finds that it is plausible that genocide is being committed and thus has issued provisional measures aimed at protecting Palestinians in Gaza. This is a landmark ruling, though short of an actual ceasefire order, that places the burden on Israel and the entire world, to ensure that genocide is not committed.
The provisional measures include calling on Israel to take all measures to prevent genocide, ensure that its military does not commit genocide, take measures to punish incitement to genocide, take immediate measures to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, preserve evidence in relation to acts of genocide, and submit a report to the ICJ on all measures Israel has taken to follow the order of the court.
The only way Israel can comply with the provisional measures is if it stops all military operations in Gaza. The whole world is now obligated to ensure that no further harm come to the Palestinians in Gaza and that urgent humanitarian aid reaches the people. The ruling also places pressure on the US, UK, EU and their allies to desist from supplying Israel with the means to commit genocide. The export of arms to Israel must stop because these weapons are being used to kills Palestinians, with more than 25,700 civilians already killed by Israeli bombs and bullets.
The peoples of the world should take heed of the ICJ ruling and use this as another basis to pressure Israel to implement a ceasefire, and to pressure governments across the world to ensure that genocide is not committed against Palestinians. The Philippine government, as a member of the UN, now has a legal and moral responsibility to call out Israel for its genocidal acts.
The people of the world hails the actions of South Africa, who has previously struggled against and defeated apartheid, and now stands as a beacon of solidarity for the oppressed Palestinian people fighting the apartheid and colonialist state of Israel. ###
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