Saudi Arabia, Qatar hail world court's interim ruling on Gaza

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) — Saudi Arabia and Qatar joined dozens of countries worldwide welcoming an interim ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the genocide case against Israel brought to the court by South Africa.

In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry welcomed the ICJ's provisional ruling "aimed at halting any practices and statements that meant to genocide against the Palestinian people in the besieged Gaza Strip."

The ministry affirmed its "categorical rejection to the Israeli occupation practices and violations of the UN Convention on Genocide."

The Qatari Foreign Ministry, for its part, also hailed the interim ruling by ICJ, especially, "for Israel to take all necessary measures to prevent all genocidal acts."

It considered "the ruling to be a victory for humanity, the rule of law and international justice."

The Qatari ministry highlighted that the court ruling "serves as a stark acknowledgment of the grave threat of genocide looming over the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip, prompting an urgent call for the enforcement of provisional measures to safeguard their well-being."

The top UN court on Friday ordered Israel to take "all measures within its power" to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza but fell short of ordering a cease-fire.

The court also ordered Israel to take immediate and effective measures to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance in the Gaza Strip.

South Africa brought the genocide case against Israel to the ICJ late last month and asked it to grant emergency measures to end the bloodshed in Gaza, where more than 26,000 Palestinians have been killed since Oct. 7.