EDITORIAL: Palestinians seem torn between “disappointment and excitement”, and rightly so, since the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to “prevent and punish” direct incitement of genocide in the Gaza war but stopped short of calling for a ceasefire.
They are facing the brunt of the Jewish state’s genocidal vengeance, after all, and most of the near-26,000 deaths so far have been women and children. So, significant and unprecedented as the court’s ruling has been, it’s not made any difference on the ground so far; especially since Israel responded, along with rejecting its proceedings, with savage bombardment of civilian areas.
Yet the most appropriate reaction seems to have come from President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa — the only country with the sense of responsibility to take Israel to the international court — who said it “marks an important first step in our quest to secure justice for the people of Gaza”.
It’s important to remember that Israel’s vigorous attempts to have the case thrown out failed, and this is now going to be a long process that the world will not be able to ignore, no matter how much Israel and its backers invoke anti-Semitism whenever the spotlight is put on them.
Israel must now report back in one month, detailing how it is complying with the court’s orders. It must also present solid evidence of how the war is really being carried out. And since this verdict has also triggered parallel debates at the UN (United Nations), whose subsidiaries have been documenting Israel’s atrocities since the start of the war, South Africa has clearly succeeded in opening a fresh front for Israel to deal with just when its military’s reputation of invincibility is being rubbished by stiff Palestinian resistance in the rubble of Gaza.
Lack of real progress, other than the rising body count, is creating other headaches for Netanyahu as well. Even members of his war cabinet are beginning to question the possibility of achieving his twin objectives of “completely destroying Hamas” and rescuing all hostages, especially since neither is on track.
At the same time, extreme right members of his coalition government, which enabled him to become prime minister in very controversial times, are threatening to walk out of the arrangement should he contemplate a softer approach. All this is when even Washington has started worrying about unending civilian casualties.
Going forward, pressure created by the progressing case at the ICJ — which most countries will not be able to ignore — could well make Netanyahu himself the next casualty of this war. One of his first steps after the court order was requesting more money and arms from Washington.
If he presses on, killing more women and children and getting no nearer to eradicating Hamas or rescuing hostages, he will surely cause a split in his cabinet and force some distance between the US and Israeli governments.
He will also tarnish his legacy as the longest serving Israeli prime minister by going down in history as the man that earned the Jewish people the tag of genocide less than a century after the holocaust. He is still waving his fists and appearing strong, but he knows that the Palestinians’ spirited defiance, and the South Africans’ sense of justice are pulling the ground from under his feet.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
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