Pakistan welcomes World Court’s ruling, reiterates call for immediate ceasefire in Gaza

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) hailed on Friday the World Court’s ruling that directed Israel to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza, and called for immediate and unconditional ceasefire in the besieged strip.

“Pakistan welcomes the provisional measures ordered today [Friday] by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), whereby the Court has concluded that, prima facie, it has the jurisdiction to entertain the case against Israel and that South Africa’s claims of genocide are plausible,” the foreign office statement read.

South Africa brought the case, accusing Israel of breaching the 1948 UN Genocide Convention, set up in the ashes of World War II and the Holocaust.

Pretoria “does not need to prove that Israel is committing genocide,” said Juliette McIntyre, international law expert from the University of South Australia.

“They simply need to establish that there is a plausible risk of genocide occurring,” she told AFP earlier.

In Friday’s ruling, the judges said Israel must take all measures within its power to prevent its troops from committing genocide, punish and must take steps to improve the humanitarian situation.

While the ICJ did not order a ceasefire, it said it would not throw out the genocide case, ruling that the Palestinians appeared to be a protected group under the 1948 Genocide Convention. It did not decide the merits of the genocide allegations.

EU says it expects full implementation of World Court orders

“The implementation of these provisional measures requires an immediate and unconditional ceasefire to bring about an end to the suffering faced by the people of Gaza,” the FO said.

“Since October 7, 2023, Israel has engaged in military aggression and criminal actions against the Palestinian people. We consider the ICJ’s ruling timely and a significant milestone in the pursuit of justice for the Palestinian people and international accountability of Israel.

“Pakistan calls for the full and effective implementation of the ICJ’s decision so that basic human rights, dignity and identity of Palestinian people as a distinct group are upheld and protected, as stipulated by the UN Charter, relevant UN resolutions, and international law,” the statement added.

Islamabad also reaffirmed its “unwavering support to the Palestinian people in their just and legitimate struggle for the realization of their inalienable right to self-determination.”

The FO statement mentioned that Pakistan had supported the application filed by South Africa before the ICJ against Israel under the 1948 Genocide Convention, in follow up to which the Court announced on Friday the provisional measures.