source:  Pexels / Patrick

The Peace Palace in the Hague, Netherlands, seat of the UN's  International Court of Justice (ICJ)

It took the courage of the South African government to bring the catastrophic situation in Gaza to the ICJ.  Deeply understanding both apartheid and subjugation, the South Africans took to the Court the case of the Palestinian people especially in Gaza to the judges for a ruling on the question of genocide and other war crime activity.    After deliberating for a month the Court issued its ruling, here summarized:

SUMMARY OF THE ICJ RULING   January 26, 2024
 
Court rules:
1. South Africa has standing to bring the application.
2. There is a legal dispute.
3. Some of the actions SA says has occurred could be Genocide.
4. The Palestinians are a discernable group and are therefore a protected group under the Genocide Act.
5. Large numbers of deaths, destruction of homes and civilian infrastructure and huge displacement are evident.
6. The court notes that UN agencies declare unprecedented conditions in Gaza. There is deep trauma and unsafe conditions. They live through the unlivable. The effect on children is especially concerning.
7. Dehumanizing language from Israel is repeated. Various ministers made statements dehumanizing Palestinians. The court cited various examples showing that the Israeli action is aimed at Palestine and not only Hamas.
8. Court concludes at least some of the rights identified to defend Palestinians are plausible.
9. The court concludes that at least sone of the rights requested by South Africa are rational.
10. The court considers urgency and concludes that there is possibility of irreparable harm to the Palestinians should it not order provisional measures at this stage. The healthcare system and breakdown of public order and epidemic is identified with irreversible conditions is declared by the UN.
11. The court notes Israel says the war will continue for several months. Meanwhile Gazans do not have basic conditions for life. Therefore the catastrophic conditions will further deteriorate before the court makes a final order.
12. Israel claims its war is being downgraded. The court finds this is insufficient to ensure Palestinian rights.
13. The court can impose its own provisional measures and need not be identical to those requested.
4. Provisional measures are appropriate and are ordered as follows:
A. Israel must take all acts to prevent all conditions in Article 2 of the Genocide Act, that is to not commit any acts of Genocide.
B. Israel must ensure none of the aforementioned acts occur.
C. Israel must ensure sufficient aid is available.
D. Israel must take urgent measures to ensure conditions of life.
E. Israel must give a report as to what it has done is submitted in one month to the court and South Africa would then be allowed to engage the court as to its contents.
F. The court calls for the release of all hostages.
 
Court decision 15 to 2.

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Now the question is:  will Israel obey the rulings?   At this point there has been little sign of accepting the judgement of the Court.   So now the question becomes:   will the other nations who have signed on to the Court authority and have signed on to Declarations, Conventions, Covenants, and other international laws help / convince Israel about the necessity of implementing the Court rulings? 

 If the other nations don't call for a ceasefire, make humanitarian aid a priority, stop providing war material, stop destroying infrastructure and other necessities of societal existence - will they acknowledge their complicity in this horrendous, barbarous, blood bath with 30,000 deaths known and how many more unknown and how many more still to happen because of famine, disease, wounds, and torture.

Citizens of countries like Canada and the USA and others, where governments are not willing to end their support of Israel's genocidal activity now become complicit - as do their citizens, like me in Canada, in the ghastly, evil affair.    It is time for all to demand that "law and order" be observed so that justice and peace might finally flourish after these 75 years of death and destruction, oppression and apartheid.   May the love of God flourish, may the Spirit awaken the gifts that are endowed in every ;human, and may justice break the shackles of the oppressed.   Let there be peace, shalom, salaam, mir, vrede, paix, friede for the entire human family of the Holy One.