Palestine accepts ICJ jurisdiction “with immediate effect”

June 3 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Palestinian Authority has sent a notification to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) by which it accepts “with immediate effect” the jurisdiction of the court, which has among its pending litigation a complaint filed by South Africa against Israel for the current military offensive on the Gaza Strip.

The ICJ, responsible for resolving disputes between countries, is an institution linked to the United Nations, so technically its rulings are mandatory for all UN member states. However, it is also open to “a State that is not a party” to the statute to submit a ‘motu proprio’ declaration.

Palestine is recognized by the UN as a non-member observer state and on May 31 it conveyed to the ICJ its desire to also assume the court’s powers. It thus undertakes to abide “in good faith” by the decisions of the aforementioned court and accept “all obligations” corresponding to any Member State of the United Nations.

Since April 2014, Palestine has also been a party to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the basis of the complaint filed by South Africa against Israel.

The ICJ has spoken several times this year regarding the situation in the Palestinian territories, specifically to ask Israel to take all possible measures to prevent a possible genocide in Gaza and facilitate the entry of aid. On May 24, he ordered Israel to “immediately” cease the offensive on the city of Rafah, in the south of the Strip.