(24 May 2024)
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RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Tel Aviv, Israel – 24 May 2024
++NIGHT SHOT++
1. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sam Mednick, The Associated Press:
"The top United Nations court has ordered Israel to stop its hostilities inside the southern city of Rafah. Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has convened an immediate meeting in order to decide what to respond. But we have heard from cabinet Minister Benny Gantz, who has said that Israel’s campaign is just, it is going to continue its offensive, including in Rafah, and that it is going to continue acting in accordance with international law. We also heard from opposition leader Yair Lapid, who said that this was a moral failure and said that the ICJ has failed to connect the offensive in Rafah with Israel’s right to defend itself. We’ve also heard from Palestinian officials who have commended the decision and said that this was a just day. Now, this is unlikely to move the needle. Israel is unlikely to change course and the ICJ lacks the mechanism to enforce that. However, this does ramp up the pressure on Israel, which is experiencing increasing isolation on the international stage. Israel has had two blows just in the last week. The International Criminal Court said it is seeking arrest warrants for top leaders in Israel, including Netanyahu, as well as three Hamas officials. And three European countries have unilaterally recognised a Palestinian state."
STORYLINE:
The top United Nations court has ordered Israel to halt its military offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
However, judges at the International Court of Justice stopped short on Friday of ordering a full cease-fire throughout the enclave, and Israel is unlikely to comply with the court’s ruling.
The order will ratchet up the pressure on the increasingly isolated country, with criticism of Israel’s conduct in the war growing, particularly since it turned its focus to Rafah.
This week alone, three European countries announced they would recognize a Palestinian state, and the chief prosecutor for another international court requested arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, along with Hamas officials.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also under some pressure at home to end the war, which was triggered when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel, killing 1,200 people, most civilians, and taking roughly 250 hostage.
Thousands of Israelis have joined weekly demonstrations calling on the government to reach a deal to bring the hostages home, fearing time is running out.
The cease-fire request is part of a case filed late last year accusing Israel of committing genocide during its Gaza campaign.
Israel vehemently denies the allegations.
Netanyahu’s government says accusations it is committing a genocide in Gaza are "false, outrageous and morally repugnant.”
Benny Gantz, a popular centrist member of Netanyahu’s war cabinet, appeared to indicate that Israel would not change its course regarding Rafah.
The case at the International Court of Justice will take years to resolve, but South Africa wants interim orders to protect Palestinians while the legal wrangling continues.
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