Time to impose sanctions as Israel ignores international law: Palestinian official
Mustafa Barghouti, the secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, says he’s not surprised that Israel has ignored the world court’s order to immediately cease its assault on Rafah city.
“Israel for decades has considered itself above international law. But what’s changing now is its impunity is gone. Not only the ICJ but also the ICC are intervening. This is a new situation, but Israel is not listening,” Barghouti told Al Jazeera.
Israel killed at least 46 people, mostly children and women, on Saturday, he noted, adding, “so Netanyahu is proceeding”.
“The main country that can restrain Israel and stop it immediately is the United States of America. I believe now is the time to impose sanctions on Israel. It’s either support international law or support Israel,” said Barghouti.
Always twisting words to weasel a way out.
ICJ order on Rafah does not rule out entire offensive, Israeli officials say
Israeli forces are continuing their attacks on southern Gaza, despite the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordering Israel to “immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in the Rafah Governorate” that “could bring about [the] physical destruction” of the Palestinian people, “in whole or in part”.
An Israeli official who spoke to the Reuters news agency on condition of anonymity said the ICJ’s ruling “is not a general order”. “We have never, and we will not, conduct any military action in Rafah or elsewhere… to bring about the destruction of the civilian population in Gaza, not in whole and not in part,” the official said.
Netanyahu’s National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi also told Israel’s N12 TV: “What they are asking us is not to commit genocide in Rafah. We did not commit genocide and we will not commit genocide.”
And when asked whether the Rafah offensive would continue, Hanegbi said: “According to international law, we have the right to defend ourselves and the evidence is that the court is not preventing us from continuing to defend ourselves.”
