European Union leaders called for the necessity of implementing the decision of the International Court of Justice calling on Israel to stop its military operations in Rafah, south of Gaza, after an occupation massacre in one of its camps.
European Union foreign policy official Josep Borrell said – in press statements before a meeting of European Union foreign ministers – that the killing of more than 30 displaced people in Rafah prompts us to demand the necessity of implementing the decision of the Court of Justice.
The Court of Justice said that Israel must immediately stop its attack on Rafah, in a decision it issued – last Friday – at the request of South Africa as part of a comprehensive lawsuit accusing Tel Aviv of committing genocide crimes in the Strip.
Borrell confirmed that Israel is moving forward with the military operation in the southern Gaza Strip despite the court ruling, which urges it to stop its attack immediately.
He added that he would also work to reach a political decision regarding launching the European Union mission dedicated to border assistance at the Rafah crossing.
Today, a meeting of European Union leaders will be held, with the participation of 5 Arab countries, to discuss how to implement the decisions of the International Courts of Justice and International Criminal Courts against Israel.
He stressed that the claim that the International Criminal Court is anti-Semitic for issuing arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is illogical, as its ruling is very important for achieving the essence of justice in the United Nations, stressing the need to respect the court and let it work without threat.
Official European support
On Sunday evening, dozens of Palestinians, most of them children and women, were killed and injured in an Israeli bombing that targeted displaced persons’ tents – without prior warning – near a UN headquarters in the Tal Al-Sultan area northwest of Rafah, which the occupation claimed was a “safe” area.
For his part, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albarez said on Monday that he would ask the other 26 member states of the European Union to issue official support for the International Court of Justice and take steps to ensure that Israel respects its decisions.
He added, “If Israel continues to act in opposition to the court’s opinion, we will try to take the correct measures to enforce that decision.”
In the same vein, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said, before a meeting of European Union ministers, that the ruling of the Court of Justice urging Israel to immediately stop its military attack on the southern part of the Gaza Strip is binding and must be respected.
She added, “No Israeli hostage will be freed if more residents are forced to take refuge in tents… International humanitarian law applies to everyone and also to Israel’s practices in war.”
For his part, Michael Martin – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defense of Ireland – condemned the attack on the refugee camp in Rafah, and considered it a violation of the decision of the International Court of Justice.
Martin said that we must defend the work and independence of the Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, calling on Israel to stop its military operation in Rafah.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide also confirmed that Israel’s continuation of the war in Gaza violates the decision of the International Justice Department, the highest court in the world.