Rania R.a. Abushamala
26 January 2024•Update: 27 January 2024
RAMALLAH, Palestine
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki on Friday welcomed provisional measures ordered by the International Court of Justice on Israel's war in the Gaza Strip.
“We call on all states to ensure that all provisional measures ordered by the Court are implemented, including by Israel, the occupying power,” Al-Maliki stated, stressing that the world court's decision, issued earlier on Friday, constituted a "binding legal obligation."
“States now have clear legal obligations to stop Israel’s genocidal war on the Palestinian people in Gaza and to make sure that they are not complicit,” he added.
Al-Maliki added that the international court's decision is "an important reminder that no state is above the law.
"It should serve as a wake-up call for Israel and actors who enabled its entrenched impunity."
He voiced Palestine's "eternal gratitude to the people and government of South Africa for taking this bold step of active solidarity," adding that Palestinian authorities would "continue to work closely with South Africa and other countries to ensure that justice is served."
In an interim decision in the genocide case filed by South Africa in The Hague, the ICJ ordered Israel earlier on Friday to take "all measures within its power" to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza, but fell short of ordering a cease-fire.
Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the GazaStrip since a cross-border attack by Hamas which Tel Aviv says killed 1,200 people.
At least 26,083 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and 64,487 injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.
The Israeli offensive has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure was damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.
*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala
