The Government of Chile appreciated the decision of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which called for stopping Israel’s military operation in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, and urged the Jewish State to comply with the court’s ruling.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry indicated that «Chile particularly appreciates the ICJ’s request that the State of Israel immediately stop its military offensive in Rafah and keep Rafah crossing openallowing the supply of basic services and humanitarian assistance.»
The Ministry also welcomed that the main judicial body of the United Nations asks Israel to «adopt measures to guarantee access to the Gaza Strip for any commission of inquiry commissioned by competent bodies of the United Nations to investigate allegations of genocide.»
It is the third time that the ICJ has issued precautionary measures against Israel since South Africa initiated proceedings on December 29 denouncing the Jewish State for violating the 1948 Genocide Convention.
This ICJ order comes in the same week that the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), another court located in The Hague, requested authorization to issue arrest warrants against Netanyahu and his Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, as well as the top Hamas leaders, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza since October.
Since the beginning of the offensive, Nearly 36,000 people have been killed by Israeli fire in the Gaza Strip and nearly 80,000 have been injured, according to data from the Ministry of Health of the Palestinian enclave, governed by Hamas.
With nearly 500,000 people, Chile is home to one of the largest Palestinian communities outside the Arab world and President Gabriel Boric is a recognized defender of the Palestinian cause, although he has always rejected the breaking of diplomatic relations with Israel.
Chile recognized Palestine as a «free, independent and sovereign» State in 2011, during the first Government of Sebastián Piñera (2010-2014).