On January 26, 2024, the International Court of Justice ( ICJ) ruled on a provisional measures application by South Africa on accusations of genocide committed by Israel against Palestinians in Gaza. The ICJ ruled that there was a plausible chance acts of genocide were being perpetrated in Gaza and ordered Israel to apply a series of binding measures, including the prosecution of genocidal discourse and the cessation of the commission of any genocidal acts.
Palestinian civil society has also highlighted the Israeli commission of genocidal acts in Gaza during its war against Palestinians since October 7th. Yet the genocide framework is not only a rhetorical device to characterize the intensity of civilian killings in the Gaza strip, but a legal framework established by binding conventions of international law and a robust jurisprudence.
This webinar will focus on clarifying what is the existing legal framework for claiming that a genocide is taking place in Gaza and what are the essential elements of the crime of genocide, differentiating it from other international crimes. Furthermore, it will explore the importance of the ICJ’s decision on provisional measures and explore the obligations derived from the decision both to Israel and other third states.
Moderation: Fatima Shehadeh – Head of Middle East Unit, EuroMed Rights
Speakers:
- Wadih Al-Asmar – President of EuroMed Rights
- Dr. Ahmad Khalifa – Assistant Professor of International Criminal Law at Ain Shams University, Cairo. Deputy Secretary General of the International Association of Penal Law, France.
- Karim el Mufti – Professor of Political Science and International Law at Sciences Po Paris and Saint-Joseph University in Beirut.