WINDHOEK: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, says although Namibia welcomes the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) recent ruling, it could have done more to bring an end to Israel’s ‘deliberate actions’.

The ruling comes in a matter in which South Africa accused Israel of violating international laws on genocide, after which the ICJ on Friday ordered Israel to take all measures in its power to prevent the commission of any acts listed under Article 2 of the Genocide Convention.

‘Namibia notes, with regret, that the ICJ has not ordered Israel to halt its military operations in Gaza. Namibia accordingly calls on the United Nations Security Council and the international community to ensure that the provisional measures ordered by the ICJ are fully implemented.

In the face of the ongoing unprecedented carnage in Gaza, disproportionately affecting women and children, more than 26 000 Palestinians have been killed since 07 October 2023,’ Nan
di-Ndaitwah said in a statement released on Friday.

Reacting to the judgment, Human rights law lecturer at the University of Namibia, John Naktuta, told Nampa that executing the orders of the landmark judgment implicitly requires a ceasefire.

Nakuta maintained that although the order is legally binding on the parties, the ICJ itself does not have any mechanism to enforce its orders.

‘As a general rule, the provisional measures ordered are automatically sent to the UN Security Council. Israel has been given 30 days to report on the implementation of the six emergency orders granted against it. I won’t speculate on whether Israel would comply with the provisional measures or not,’ Nakuta added.

Political Analyst, Ndumba Kamwanyah, in an interview with Nampa also stressed that although the judgment did not go all the way to order Israel to cease its military assault on Gaza, the judgement is a win for South Africa, diplomatically and geopolitically.

‘South Africa did Africa proud and asserted the values the
continent stood for when it was fighting against colonialism and oppression. The judgment is consequential and has wider implications for all the UN member states that signed and ratified the ICJ instrument, including Israel. It empowers Africa to take past atrocities, including our genocide case in Namibia, to the ICJ,’ Kamwanyah said.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency