Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Victoria O’Regan
Published on 2024-03-18 22:22:27
Israel has responded to South Africa’s request to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for additional provisional measures and modifications to its 26 January order. Israel has asked the ICJ to reject South Africa’s request for an order preventing famine in Gaza and to refrain from indicating any further provisional measures. The ICJ has made public Israel’s observations on South Africa’s urgent request of 6 March.
In its observations submitted to the court on 15 March, Israel criticized South Africa’s request as based on a misrepresentation of reality and an attempt to accuse Israel of serious crimes without regard for the law or facts. Israel accused South Africa of seeking continual political attention and demonstrating unwavering solidarity with Hamas through its repeated requests to the ICJ.
The initial ICJ order on 26 January found a plausible case of genocide committed by Israel against Palestinians in Gaza. Israel was directed to prevent genocide, punish incitement to genocide, and increase humanitarian aid to Gaza. However, the court did not order Israel to implement a ceasefire in Gaza, which was South Africa’s maximum requested provisional measure.
South Africa subsequently appealed to the ICJ on 6 March for additional provisional measures and amendments to prevent famine in Gaza. The country argued that the deteriorating situation in Gaza warranted urgent action from the court, citing contempt from Israel towards the previous order.
Israel responded by claiming there had been no significant change in the situation in Gaza to warrant modifying the provisional measures. Experts on international law noted that the court would need to assess whether the circumstances on the ground had indeed changed significantly to justify any modifications to the previous orders.
As concerns about famine in Gaza mount, a new report indicates that 300,000 people in northern Gaza are facing imminent famine, while 1.1 million people, half of the region’s population, are experiencing catastrophic food insecurity. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) warned that famine could occur by May 2024 if immediate action is not taken.
The IPC, a global authority on food insecurity, has previously classified famine in Somalia in 2011 and South Sudan in 2017. The current situation in Gaza poses a grave threat to the population, with dire food shortages exacerbated by ongoing Israeli attacks.
Amidst the escalating crisis, South Africa’s efforts to secure additional measures from the ICJ to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continue. The country may consider seeking action from the UN Security Council if the ICJ declines to modify the previous orders. The international community closely watches as the situation in Gaza reaches a critical juncture with the looming threat of famine.
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