Sinn Féin spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Matt Carthy TD, has welcomed the ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that ‘Israel must immediately halt its military offensive’ in Rafah, but warned that sanctions were ‘clearly necessary’ to enforce the order.

South Africa had sought additional orders from the Court in response to the Israeli offensive on Rafah where upwards of 1.4 million people have sought shelter following the nearly eight-month onslaught against the Gaza strip, which has seen over 35,000 killed, including more than 15,000 children.

Teachta Carthy said:

“The latest ICJ ruling is a welcome development that stands as an example of the international legal system and multilateralism working as intended.

“But if we are to see this order enforced and any relief delivered to the Palestinian people of Gaza then we must see the groundswell of global support for a ceasefire matched with meaningful diplomatic and economic sanctions against Israel until they are brought into compliance with international humanitarian law.

“Too many world leaders, including within the European Union, have to date failed to show a willingness to hold Israel to account – where Europe refuses to act, Ireland must follow South Africa’s example and become leaders.

“The Irish government for their part must utilise every tool at their disposal to pressure Israel to call off their intended slaughter, to hold Israel to account and to demand their compliance with international law, including by:

Enacting the Illegal Israeli settlements divestment bill and the Occupied Territories Bill.
Joining the ICJ Genocide case against Israel; and
Increasing funding to UNRWA

“Furthermore, it is no longer tenable for the European Union to continue blocking a review into Israel’s compliance with its human rights obligations under the EU Israel Association Agreement. The EU has failed to take any meaningful action against Israel, in fact European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, has provided cover for Israeli war crimes.

“Recent events have shown that Israel is not interested in a peace settlement. That is because the international community has failed to force them to do so. That must change now before we see a further slaughter of innocent Palestinians.”