Israel will feel the ignominy of this case for years to come
This is undoubtedly a major blow to Israel.
The judges are worried enough about the possibility Israel is committing genocide in Gaza they feel compelled to order it to do all in its power to avoid doing so.
They also feel the need to prevent and punish any genocidal incitement by Israeli officials.
ICJ rules Israel will face investigation; Middle East latest
And now for years to come Israel will face the ignominy of being investigated and tried for genocide in the UN’s highest court.
It is important to say the judges are also “gravely concerned” about the fate of Israeli hostages being held in Gaza and demand their immediate and unconditional release.
But they seem most worried about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, which they say is verging on catastrophic.
Much of their 40-minute ruling catalogued the plight of civilians in Gaza, the thousands dead and the near-two million forced out of their homes.
Israel must take “immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance” in the Gaza strip, says the ruling.
Critics of Israel’s government within Israel and beyond will say it could have avoided much of this had it done more to follow up its military offensive with more humanitarian assistance, instead of forcing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to flee their homes and seek shelter in winter in cramped wretched conditions, and done more to let in adequate amounts of aid.
Had Israeli officials from the prime minister down also refrained from repeated extreme statements referring to “human animals” in Gaza, and in some cases calling for wholesale destruction there, the country could have been spared much of the condemnation in the ruling.
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The judges quoted extensively from their comments.
Israelis may claim their words were taken out of context, rhetorical or uttered in moments of extreme anguish and trauma, but, in the elevated scrutiny of the International Court of Justice hearings, they did much to damage Israel’s case.