ICJ call on Israel to avert genocide welcome: Oman
Oman has welcomed International Court of Justice’s decision on Israel and stressed the importance of adhering to the ruling.
The ICJ ordered Israel to prevent genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, but stopped short of calling on it to suspend its military campaign in the war-torn enclave, as South Africa had requested.
At a hearing in The Hague, the Netherlands, on Friday, ICJ said Israel must ‘take all measures’ to limit the death and destruction caused by its military campaign, prevent and punish incitement to genocide, and ensure access to humanitarian aid.
South Africa had accused Israel of violating international laws on genocide and asked the court to order Israel to cease fire in Gaza.
While ICJ did not order Israel to end its war, the ruling represents a blow to Israel, which had hoped the case would be dismissed outright.
“We commend South Africa for its leadership in support of Palestine and welcome the ICJ ruling that Israel must ‘prevent and punish’ incitement to genocide. We support immediate implementation. Israel must no longer be allowed to contravene international law without consequences,” H E Sayyid Badr al Busaidi, Foreign Minister, posted on ‘X’.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said it had studied the decision of ICJ against Israel’s clear, deliberate and widespread violation of its legal and humanitarian obligations to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide.
It also stressed the need of immediately stopping all forms of Israeli aggression in the Gaza Strip and the rest of the occupied
Palestinian territories. The statement also called for lifting the siege imposed on Gaza to ensure safe entry for all types of humanitarian aid.
Oman also called on the international community to push Israel to stop military operations and acts of genocide against the Palestinian people.
The sultanate expressed its deep appreciation to South Africa for its position, for standing by human rights and justice, and for filing the lawsuit before the court.
Friday’s decision related only to South Africa’s request for emergency measures, which act like a restraining order while the court considers the full merits of the genocide case, which could take years.
“The catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is at serious risk of deteriorating further before the court renders its final judgment,” Judge Joan Donoghue, President of ICJ, said on Friday.
The court voted in favour of six emergency measures, ordering Israel to ‘take all measures within its power’ to prevent acts which could fall foul of the 1948 Genocide Convention, and to ensure its military does not commit genocidal acts in Gaza.
ICJ’S decisions are binding and cannot be appealed, but it has no way of enforcing these.
We commend South Africa for its leadership in support of Palestine and welcome the ICJ ruling that Israel must ‘prevent and punish’ incitement to genocide
H E SAYYID BADR AL BUSAIDI