The International Court of Justice in The Hague has called for better protection of civilians in the Gaza Strip. But he did not order an end to the fighting.
In the end, everyone managed to feel a little bit of a winner – but at the same time also a loser. Neither Israel nor South Africa were 100 percent certain of the provisional Solomonic verdict from the International Court of Justice in The Hague on charges of genocide in the Gaza war. In front of the Peace Palace, home of the UN court at the headquarters of the Dutch government, there were mainly pro-Palestine protesters on Friday, including Greta Thunberg, who recently transitioned from climate activist to Middle East activist.
The Palestinian Foreign Minister and Naledi Pandor, his South African colleague who had traveled especially to the Netherlands, found themselves morally vindicated. The court, presided over by American Joan Donoghue, overwhelmingly called for the protection of the Palestinian civilian population in the face of a “catastrophic humanitarian situation” and a “tragedy”. He called on Israel to prevent genocide. And he rejected what the defense said was an “obscene” appeal to a genocide charge. South Africa gave “some plausible reasons”. Nelson Mandela, the South African pillar saint, is smiling at his grave, said Ronald Lamola, South African justice minister in Pretoria.