ZFA calls on government to take stand against ICJ ruling
The ICJ ruled by 13-2 on Friday that Israel must immediately halt its military offensive in Rafah
The Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA) has called on the Albanese Government to reject the International Court of Justice’s order for Israel to cease its Rafah operations and reaffirm Israel’s right to self-defence.
The ICJ ruled by 13-2 on Friday that “Israel must immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in the Rafah governorate, which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part”.
It said that the developments in Rafah, with the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from the city, were “exceptionally grave,” and that it is “not convinced” that Israel’s evacuation efforts and other measures to protect Gazan civilians “are sufficient to alleviate the immense risk to which the Palestinian population is exposed as a result of the military offensive in Rafah.”
The court also ordered Israel to allow “the unimpeded access to the Gaza Strip” for commissions of inquiry, fact-finding missions, or other investigative bodies mandated by the UN to investigate allegations of genocide.
“On the very same day that Israel discovered the bodies of three hostages murdered by Hamas under an UNRWA facility, the International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to abandon its citizens still being held hostage, by halting operations in Rafah, citing UNRWA statistics,” ZFA president Jeremy Leibler said.
“This order sends a message to Hamas and terrorist organisations worldwide that they can commit barbaric attacks and then use civilian populations as human shields to gain immunity, and erodes any remaining credibility of the ICJ.
“Now is the time for the Australian Government to reject this order and reaffirm its commitment to stand by Israel’s right to self-defence and remove Hamas from power.”
The US-based Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said in a statement, “ADL condemns the ICJ for allowing external political pressure to dictate its biased ruling today, and South Africa for essentially serving as Hamas’ representatives at the court. By demanding that Israel immediately halt its military operation in Rafah, the ICJ has determined that Israel has no right to retrieve its hostages or defend its citizens from terror.
“The very fact that Hamas, the terrorist organisation that perpetrated the October 7 massacre, congratulated the ICJ on this ruling attests to the absurdity of these proceedings. We call on members of the international community to reject the ICJ’s-biased ruling.”
WITH TIMES OF ISRAEL
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