Guterres: ICJ’s ruling is binding and Israel must comply with the court’s orders

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Friday stressed that the ruling of the International Court of Justice o South Africa’s genocide case against Israel are legally binding, that Israel must comply with the court’s orders and prevent the acts prohibited under the Genocide Convention.

according to a statement by the UN media office, Guterres said that the court’s decision required Israel to take all measures with regard to the Palestinians in Gaza to prevent committing acts covered by Article II of the Genocide Convention, including killing, causing serious physical or mental harm and deliberately imposing difficult living conditions on people.

Guterres stressed that the court’s decisions obligate “Israel” to immediately ensure that its forces do not commit any of these acts, pointing to the court’s affirmation that “all parties in Gaza Strip must comply with international humanitarian law.”

According to the statement, Guterres will refer, based on the Statute of the Court, the temporary measures decision, issued by the International Court of Justice regarding “Israel”, to the Security Council.

Earlier, the current presidency of the UN Security Council announced that the Council would meet on Wednesday to consider the ICJ’s ruling, which called on the Israeli entity to prevent any possible act of genocide in the Gaza Strip.

Hamda Mustafa