War in the Middle East
Praise and criticism after the UN court ruling on Israel
Israelis visit the site where revelers were killed and kidnapped in an attack by Hamas militants on the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023. photo
© Oded Balilty/AP/dpa
The ruling by the highest UN court met with a wide variety of reactions internationally. Israel is not satisfied and is making serious allegations against an important UN organization. The overview.
The judges thus partially responded to an urgent request from South Africa, which had called for an immediate cessation of Israel’s military actions. After this initial decision, the genocide trial is likely to continue for months or years. Four Hezbollah militia fighters died in Israeli air strikes in Lebanon last night after Israel came under fire from there. The Houthi militia again attacked a freighter in the Gulf of Aden. In Geneva, the World Health Organization defended itself against Israel’s serious allegations.
Reminder to Israel
After the ICJ ruling, UN Secretary-General António Guterres recalled that ICJ decisions are binding. Everyone involved must adhere to the judge’s ruling, he said in New York. Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said: “The Court has also made it clear that Israel’s actions in Gaza follow the barbaric terror of October 7th, and recalled that Hamas is also bound by international humanitarian law and must finally release all hostages.” Ursula von der Leyen’s EU Commission and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also called on Israel to comply with the court decision.
Netanyahu with a cautious reaction
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted rather cautiously to the verdict. “Israel’s respect for international law is unwavering,” he said in a video message. At the same time, the country will continue to “defend itself against Hamas, a genocidal terrorist organization.” The genocide allegations made against Israel were “not only false, but also outrageous,” said Netanyahu.
The US National Security Council communications director, John Kirby, said of the genocide allegation: “We have simply said over and over again that we believe that claim is inaccurate. And the court has not found Israel guilty of genocide.” US President Biden wants the war in the Gaza Strip to end so that the people there can live in peace. They continue to push for a break in the fighting, but a general ceasefire is not “the best approach” at the moment.
Joy among Palestinian allies
The terrorist organization Hamas and other extremist groups carried out a massacre in the Israeli border area on October 7th, in which around 1,200 people were killed and around 250 hostages were kidnapped in the Gaza Strip. Since then, Israel has been fighting the Islamists in the isolated coastal strip with a ground offensive and from the air. According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, more than 26,000 people have already been killed. 75 percent of them were women, children or older men. The information cannot be independently verified.
Pro-Palestinian countries and Hamas were happy about the ICJ decision. “This is an important development that contributes to Israel’s international isolation,” said a Hamas spokesman. The proceedings before the UN World Court will “showcase Israel’s crimes in the Gaza Strip.” Iran’s Foreign Minister Hussein Amirabdollahian called on other countries to support the lawsuit. Plaintiff South Africa called the ruling “a decisive victory for the international rule of law.” The country compares the oppression of the black population during the racist apartheid regime (1948-1994) in South Africa with Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians.
Serious allegations against UN employees
Meanwhile, the United Nations has to defend itself against criticism of its employees’ possible involvement in the Hamas attack. The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, defended himself against Israeli accusations that the UN organization in the Gaza Strip, in “complicity” with Hamas, ignored the fact that the Islamists had misused clinics as bases and to hold hostages. “Such false claims are harmful and can endanger our employees who risk their lives to serve vulnerable people,” he said in Geneva.
At the same time, the UN Palestinian relief agency UNRWA wants to examine the possible involvement of several of its employees in the Hamas massacre in Israel. “I have taken the decision to immediately terminate the contracts of these employees and launch an investigation to immediately find out the truth,” said UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini. They are “shocking allegations.” Israel has provided UNRWA with information about the alleged involvement of several employees. “Any UNRWA staff involved in terrorist attacks will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution.”
New Houthi attacks in the Gulf of Aden
Meanwhile, the militant Islamist Houthis in Yemen said they attacked a British oil tanker with missiles off the coast of the Gulf of Aden. The militia stands in solidarity with Hamas. A spokesman for their armed forces said the ship was hit and set on fire. The UKMTO, part of the British Navy, said it was investigating reports of a fire on board a ship. Since the beginning of the Gaza war, the Houthis have repeatedly attacked freighters with alleged Israeli connections. Yemen is located on one of the most important shipping routes for world trade, connecting the Mediterranean with the Indian Ocean via the Suez Canal in Egypt. The USA and Great Britain had carried out military strikes against Houthi positions several times in response to the attacks.
What is important today
Given the number of hostages still held captive, attention continues to turn to possible negotiations for their release. The US government is hoping for a new agreement. Baerbock is continuing her crisis talks on Saturday due to the dramatic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and wants to meet Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi in the Jordanian capital Amman in the morning.