Saudi Arabia welcomes ICJ decision on Rafah, but urges inclusion of “all Palestinian regions”

May 24. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Saudi Foreign Ministry has welcomed the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordering Israel to stop its military offensive on Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, although it has urged that “all Palestinian regions.”

“The Kingdom also renews its call to the international community to assume its responsibilities to put an end to all forms of aggression against the Palestinian people,” it said in a statement published this Friday on the social network X.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry has also indicated that it “appreciates” this decision “in accordance with the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide”, as “it is a positive step towards the moral and legal rights of the Palestinian people.”

The ICJ ruled this Friday on the additional measures requested by South Africa, which has accused Israel of ignoring previous measures ordered by the UN court to prevent a genocide in Gaza, and of further worsening the humanitarian situation in the enclave. by launching a new offensive on Rafá, which has caused a new forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of people.

In its new ruling, the court not only reaffirms the precautionary measures it issued in January and March to prevent an extermination in Gaza, but also calls on Israel to “immediately suspend its military offensive and any other action in the Rafah governorate.” that could inflict on the Palestinian population living conditions that could lead to their physical destruction, whether total or partial.

The court also requires Israel to “keep open the Rafah crossing,” which the Palestinian side assumed control at the beginning of the month “for the large-scale and unrestricted supply of humanitarian assistance.”

Furthermore, the court urges Israel to take “effective measures” to guarantee “unimpeded access to the Gaza Strip” to “any commission of inquiry, fact-finding mission or investigative body commissioned by the competent UN bodies to investigate accusations of genocide.”

Finally, the ICJ gives Israel one month from today to deliver a report that includes all the measures it must adopt to comply with this new ruling, a document that will subsequently be evaluated by the court.