The ICJ orders restraint from Israel in Rafah

IT HAS BEENICCICJICC ICJICCICJICJ a week of diplomatic disasters for Israel. It began on Monday with , the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (), for Israel’s prime minister and defence minister. And it ended on Friday with the International Court of Justice () ordering Israel to limit its military offensive in Rafah. In the span of five days, the world’s top two courts issued harsh reprimands for the Jewish state.Judges at the must still decide whether to issue warrants, a process that usually takes several months. The ’s order presents a more immediate problem. Unlike the , which prosecutes individuals, the hears disputes between states—in this case, between Israel and South Africa, which has petitioned the court four times since the Gaza war began in October. South Africa has accused Israel of committing genocide and asked the to order a halt to its military operations.