What the ICJ genocide ruling means for Israel and its Gaza war

The International Court of Justice ordered Israel to prevent genocide in Gaza but not to cease fire. Here's what to know.

The International Court of Justice has no power to enforce its rulings, but there was consequence in what it ordered Friday — and what it didn’t.

For some, the demand from the United Nations’ top court that Israel do everything it can to prevent genocidal acts in Gaza was a striking symbolic blow against the war. The court stopped short of ordering the immediate cease-fire that Palestinian supporters desired, however — setting up a complicated, yearslong legal battle that will play out while the fighting continues.

It was not the full denunciation desired by the Palestinians, or the flat rejection called for by Israel. But the judges effectively ruled that when it comes to accusations of genocide there is a case to be heard, and immediate action that Israel must take.

William Schabas, a professor of international law at England’s Middlesex University who specializes in war crimes studies, called the decision “a remarkable achievement for South Africa,” which brought the case.

“Yesterday Israel was saying it expected the court to dismiss the application,” said Schabas, former president of the International Association of Genocide Scholars. “Well, it certainly didn’t do that. It is treating this as a matter of the utmost seriousness.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/icj-genocide-ruling-israel-gaza-war-rcna135615

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