South Africa, which brought the case, had asked for the court to order Israel to halt its operation. In the highly anticipated decision made by a panel of 17 judges, the International Court of Justice decided not to throw out the case. Israel rejects the genocide accusation and had asked the court to throw the charges out. Provisional measures by the world court are legally binding, but it is not clear if Israel would comply with any order. The genocide case strikes at the national identity of Israel, which was founded as a Jewish state after the Nazi slaughter of 6 million Jews during World War II.

Source: The Telegraph January 26, 2024 19:14 UTC