Denmark tells Israel to end military operations inside Rafah after ICJ ruling

By Ebad Ahmed

PRAGUE, Czech Republic (AA) – In light of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) verdict, Denmark on Saturday called for the end of all Israeli military operations in the city of Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, state media outlet DR said.

"I look at the ruling that has been made with extreme seriousness, and I hope that it is also a seriousness that descends in Israel,” Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said.

"There is now the international community's legal assessment of this situation, and it matches the political assessment that the Danish government has also had for a long time - namely that we must have a cease-fire, not a land offensive," he added.

Denmark's statement came a day after the ICJ verdict, the highest court in the UN, ordered Israel to halt its military offensive in Rafah, open the Rafah border crossing, and provide "unimpeded access" to investigators looking into allegations of genocide.

The foreign minister said international law must be respected by all countries, and Denmark naturally expects Israel to comply with the ruling.

The Amnesty International welcomed that Denmark supports the ICJ order to stop Israeli offensive in the city that hosted over 1 million Palestinians before the Israeli invasion on May 6.

"Israel's allies - including Denmark - must do everything they can to influence Israel to stop its military operations in Rafah and push for an immediate and lasting ceasefire by all parties," Amnesty International’s Danish Secretary General Vibe Klarup said in a statement.

It added that Denmark should immediately stop its arms exports to Israel "so as not to contribute to possible war crimes."

Israel has killed nearly 36,000 Palestinians in Gaza in last seven months, besides causing widespread destruction and famine-like conditions in the blockaded enclave. It is accused of violating the Genocide Convention, and proceedings continue at the ICJ.