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Reactions to World Court Ruling on Israel’s War in Gaza

A participant during a demonstration in solidarity with the Palestinian population, and in support of the South African cause, during a ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, The Netherlands, on a request from South Africa for emergency measures for Gaza, 26 January 2024. (EPA)
A participant during a demonstration in solidarity with the Palestinian population, and in support of the South African cause, during a ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, The Netherlands, on a request from South Africa for emergency measures for Gaza, 26 January 2024. (EPA)
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Reactions to World Court Ruling on Israel’s War in Gaza

A participant during a demonstration in solidarity with the Palestinian population, and in support of the South African cause, during a ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, The Netherlands, on a request from South Africa for emergency measures for Gaza, 26 January 2024. (EPA)
A participant during a demonstration in solidarity with the Palestinian population, and in support of the South African cause, during a ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, The Netherlands, on a request from South Africa for emergency measures for Gaza, 26 January 2024. (EPA)

The World Court on Friday ordered Israel to take action to prevent acts of genocide as it wages war against Hamas militants in Gaza, and do more to help civilians, but it stopped short of calling for an immediate ceasefire as requested by South Africa.

Following are reactions to the ruling by the UN-affiliated International Court of Justice in The Hague:

SOUTH AFRICAN FOREIGN MINISTRY

"Today marks a decisive victory for the international rule of law and a significant milestone in the search for justice for the Palestinian people.

"There is no credible basis for Israel to continue to claim that its military actions are in full compliance with international law, including the Genocide Convention, having regard to the Court's ruling.

"South Africa sincerely hopes that Israel will not act to frustrate the application of this order, as it has publicly threatened to do, but that it will instead act to comply with it fully, as it is bound to do."

ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU

"Israel's commitment to international law is unwavering. Equally unwavering is our sacred commitment to continue to defend our country and defend our people. Like every country, Israel has an inherent right to defend itself.

"The vile attempt to deny Israel this fundamental right is blatant discrimination against the Jewish state, and it was justly rejected. The charge of genocide levelled against Israel is not only false, it's outrageous, and decent people everywhere should reject it.

"Israel will continue to defend itself against Hamas, a genocidal terror organization.

"On Oct. 7, Hamas perpetrated the most horrific atrocities against the Jewish people since the Holocaust, and it vows to repeat these atrocities again and again and again. Our war is against Hamas terrorists, not against Palestinian civilians."

PALESTINIAN FOREIGN MINISTER RIYAD AL-MALIKI

"The ICJ judges assessed the facts and the law, they ruled in favor of humanity and international law.

"We call on all states to ensure that all provisional measures ordered by the Court are implemented, including by Israel, the occupying power. This is a binding legal obligation.

"The ICJ order is an important reminder that no state is above the law. It should serve as a wake-up call for Israel and actors who enabled its entrenched impunity."

ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER YOAV GALLANT

"The International Court of Justice in The Hague went above and beyond, when it granted South Africa's antisemitic request to discuss the claim of genocide in Gaza, and now refuses to reject the petition outright."

SENIOR HAMAS OFFICIAL SAMI ABU ZUHRI

"The International Court of Justice ruling is an important development that contributes to isolating the occupation (Israel) and exposing its crimes in Gaza. We call for compelling the occupation to implement the court's decisions."

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH

"The World Court's landmark decision puts Israel and its allies on notice that immediate action is needed to prevent genocide and further atrocities against Palestinians in Gaza. Lives hang in the balance, and governments need to urgently use their leverage to ensure that the order is enforced. The scale and gravity of civilian suffering in Gaza driven by Israeli war crimes demands nothing less...

"The court's clear and binding orders raise the stakes for Israel's allies to back up their stated commitment to a global rules-based order by helping ensure compliance with this watershed ruling."

FOREIGN MINISTER HOSSEIN AMIR-ABDOLLAHIAN OF IRAN

"Today, the authorities of the fake Israeli regime ... must be brought to justice immediately for committing genocide and unprecedented war crimes against the Palestinians."

HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER REED BRODY

"The ICJ didn't give South Africa all it wanted, but this ruling is a resounding vindication of Pretoria's decision to bring the case, and a powerful indictment of Israeli policy.

"Most importantly, whatever the Israeli government may say, this binding order will put pressure on Israel, directly and through its allies, to end the collective punishment of the people of Gaza and to allow humanitarian aid."

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL SECRETARY GENERAL AGNES CALLAMARD

"The stakes could not be higher - the ICJ's provisional measures indicate that in the Court's view the survival of Palestinians in Gaza is at risk. The Israeli government must comply with the ICJ's ruling immediately."

ISRAELI NATIONAL SECURITY MINISTER ITAMAR BEN-GVIR

"Hague shmague" - he wrote, appearing to mock the ruling in a Yiddish-style putdown on the social media platform X.

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Climate Change Imperils Drought-Stricken Morocco’s Cereal Farmers and Its Food Supply

A farmer works in a wheat field on the outskirts of Kenitra, Morocco, Friday, June 21, 2024. (AP)
A farmer works in a wheat field on the outskirts of Kenitra, Morocco, Friday, June 21, 2024. (AP)
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Climate Change Imperils Drought-Stricken Morocco’s Cereal Farmers and Its Food Supply

A farmer works in a wheat field on the outskirts of Kenitra, Morocco, Friday, June 21, 2024. (AP)
A farmer works in a wheat field on the outskirts of Kenitra, Morocco, Friday, June 21, 2024. (AP)

Golden fields of wheat no longer produce the bounty they once did in Morocco. A six-year drought has imperiled the country's entire agriculture sector, including farmers who grow cereals and grains used to feed humans and livestock.

The North African nation projects this year's harvest will be smaller than last year in both volume and acreage, putting farmers out of work and requiring more imports and government subsidies to prevent the price of staples like flour from rising for everyday consumers.

"In the past, we used to have a bounty — a lot of wheat. But during the last seven or eight years, the harvest has been very low because of the drought," said Al Housni Belhoussni, a small-scale farmer who has long tilled fields outside of the city of Kenitra.

Belhoussni's plight is familiar to grain farmers throughout the world confronting a hotter and drier future. Climate change is imperiling the food supply and shrinking the annual yields of cereals that dominate diets around the world — wheat, rice, maize and barley.

In North Africa, among the regions thought of as most vulnerable to climate change, delays to annual rains and inconsistent weather patterns have pushed the growing season later in the year and made planning difficult for farmers.

In Morocco, where cereals account for most of the farmed land and agriculture employs the majority of workers in rural regions, the drought is wreaking havoc and touching off major changes that will transform the makeup of the economy. It has forced some to leave their fields fallow. It has also made the areas they do elect to cultivate less productive, producing far fewer sacks of wheat to sell than they once did.

In response, the government has announced restrictions on water use in urban areas — including on public baths and car washes — and in rural ones, where water going to farms has been rationed.

"The late rains during the autumn season affected the agriculture campaign. This year, only the spring rains, especially during the month of March, managed to rescue the crops," said Abdelkrim Naaman, the chairman of Nalsya. The organization has advised farmers on seeding, irrigation and drought mitigation as less rain falls and less water flows through Morocco's rivers.

The Agriculture Ministry estimates that this year's wheat harvest will yield roughly 3.4 million tons (3.1 billion kilograms), far less than last year's 6.1 million tons (5.5 billion kilograms) — a yield that was still considered low. The amount of land seeded has dramatically shrunk as well, from 14,170 square miles (36,700 square kilometers) to 9,540 square miles (24,700 square kilometers).

Such a drop constitutes a crisis, said Driss Aissaoui, an analyst and former member of the Moroccan Ministry for Agriculture.

"When we say crisis, this means that you have to import more," he said. "We are in a country where drought has become a structural issue."

Leaning more on imports means the government will have to continue subsidizing prices to ensure households and livestock farmers can afford dietary staples for their families and flocks, said Rachid Benali, the chairman of the farming lobby COMADER.

The country imported nearly 2.5 million tons of common wheat between January and June. However, such a solution may have an expiration date, particularly because Morocco's primary source of wheat, France, is facing shrinking harvests as well.

The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization ranked Morocco as the world's sixth-largest wheat importer this year, between Türkiye and Bangladesh, which both have much bigger populations.

"Morocco has known droughts like this and in some cases known droughts that las longer than 10 years. But the problem, this time especially, is climate change," Benali said.