Israel challenging UN's top court with ongoing aggression against Gaza, West Bank: Palestine

By Awad al-Rujoub

RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) - The Palestinian Presidency has said Israel's continued aggression against the Gaza Strip and the West Bank constitutes a challenge to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which has already issued an interim order in a genocide case.

"The killing policy, genocide, and collective punishment committed by the (Israeli) occupation authorities against Palestinians have led the entire region to a dangerous situation with unpredictable consequences," the official Palestinian news agency Wafa said, quoting a statement issued by Palestinian Presidency spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh on Monday.

On Friday, the UN court found South Africa's claim that Israel is committing genocide plausible. The court issued an interim order urging Israel to stop obstructing aid deliveries to Gaza and improve the humanitarian situation.

Rudeineh urged the US administration "to act immediately to oblige Israel to stop its comprehensive aggression against the Palestinian people, their land and sanctities before giving justification or false arguments aimed at the continuation of this occupation."

"The only way out is through compliance with international legitimacy and recognition of the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people," he said, stressing that ending the occupation and establishing a Palestinian state would allow the world to enjoy peace, security, and stability.

On Sunday, about a dozen Israeli ministers attended a far-right conference, where participants advocated for measures to encourage Palestinian emigration from Gaza, as well as the rebuilding and creation of new Jewish settlements in the enclave currently under siege by the Israeli forces.

The conference drew widespread condemnation from the Palestinian Authority and groups, as well as Western countries such as the US and Germany.

Israel launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, killing at least 26,637 Palestinians and injuring 65,387. Nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli offensive has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara