The Palestinian News Agency WAFA reported that the State of Palestine welcomed the International Court of Justice’s judicial order to impose interim measures in South Africa’s case against the Israeli occupying state, describing it as historic, and accepting South Africa’s lawsuit for committing genocide and violating the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, presenting compelling evidence of its commission. The State of Palestine affirmed that the decisive decision of the International Court of Justice reminds the world that no state is above the law, and that justice applies to all, putting an end to the culture of criminality and impunity for Israel, which is represented by decades of Israeli occupation, ethnic cleansing, persecution, and apartheid.
The State of Palestine emphasized the failure of the Israeli occupying state to provide convincing evidence to the court that it does not violate the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, instead presenting lies and politicized narratives to the judges, who assessed the case with objectivity and facts based on the law, as presented by South Africa and reflected by the grave situation on the ground in Palestine, leading them to adopt precautionary measures. Today, Israel stands accused of destroying an entire people, now facing charges of genocide, the crime of crimes.
The State of Palestine called on the international community to pressure Israel to stop its ongoing aggression on the Gaza Strip, halt the genocide, all destruction operations, and the crime of forced displacement, and to quickly implement Security Council Resolution 2720 to introduce humanitarian aid and immediately allow the displaced to return to their homes.
The State of Palestine called on all countries to ensure respect for the decision of the International Court of Justice, and for the world’s governments to commit not to collude and to stop supplying Israel with weapons, noting that the world’s governments are obliged to take steps to put an end to the widespread killing and destruction in the Gaza Strip, reminding that these demands have now become legally binding and conclusive, expressing Palestine’s gratitude to the people and government of South Africa for their courageous steps, which represented genuine solidarity with the Palestinians and millions of people worldwide, who have not stopped demonstrating to express their solidarity with the Palestinians and their right to life and freedom, and their rejection of genocide.
The State of Palestine affirmed its continued work with principled nations to ensure the cessation of genocide, accountability for the perpetrators of heinous crimes, and the protection of our collective rights as a people who enjoy human rights, freedom, and justice equally with the rest of the world’s peoples, emphasizing that the struggle of our Palestinian people is a struggle for all humanity, and this struggle must not fail.
