Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Dr Naledi Pandor has called on the United Nations Security Council to ensure that Israel complies with the order of the International Court of Justice.
The World Court has ordered Israel to halt its military in Rafah, allow for unrestricted access to humanitarian aid into Gaza, and also ordered Israel to report back to it within a month on measures taken to give effect to the new provisional orders.
Pandor says Israeli impunity must come to an end now.
“Israel has had impunity for so long that they don’t care what the global community says. So I think the responsibility goes to us as member states of the United Nations and most particularly to the Security Council because it is the one that has the responsibility for global peace and security. So they must now determine measures to protect the people of Palestine. So I am looking to the UN body and how it is gonna respond.”
ICJ decisions binding
Meanwhile, the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has reminded parties that the decisions of the International Court of Justice are binding and trusts they will comply with the latest Order of the Court.
He was reacting to the latest order of provisional measures against Israel, including that it halts its military offensive in Rafah Governorate in Gaza’s south, reopen the Rafah border crossing for humanitarian aid to flow in at scale and ensure unimpeded access to for investigations or fact-finding missions mandated by competent UN organs to investigate allegations of genocide.
The SG’s spokesperson says Guterres noted the Court’s decision and reminded parties of their obligations under the Charter of the United Nations and the Statute of the Court that decisions were binding, urging their immediate implementation.
He also indicated that he would promptly transfer the notice of the provisional measures ordered by the Court to the Security Council.
Earlier Palestine’s Ambassador Riyad Mansour thanked South Africa and those who supported its applications at the Hague-based Court.
Israel was also ordered to report back to the Court on its compliance with the orders within one month. -Additional reporting by Sherwin Bryce-Pease
