The Israel-Gaza war has garnered international attention. Pro-Palestine and pro-Israel supporters have been seen in various countries, protests have been held, and everyone is in fear of what might happen next. Now, Gaza’s city of Rafah has gotten into the crosshairs of war. After being warned by President Biden that they shouldn’t attack Rafah directly, Israel attempted to do so incrementally. This approach has not gone as planned and has sparked judicial attention on the international level.
According to NBC, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to end its attacks on Rafah, emphasizing that it was once a ‘safe zone.’ While they can’t enforce this ruling, it shows how isolated Israel is from the rest of the world. South Africa agrees with the ruling, the Netherlands have accused Israel of genocide, and Spain, Norway, and Ireland have announced recognition of a Palestinian state.
People seem to have quickly forgotten that there are still hostages in Gaza—innocent people that Israel and the US want to bring home. Sure, the ICJ also wants them to be released and told Hamas to do so, but again, they have no power to enforce this or anything else they want done.
Unlike the ICJ, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has the power to enforce decisions. Unfortunately, they are not using that power where it should be used at this point, having applied for arrest warrants under the accusation of war crimes. Those accused are the Prime Minister and Defense Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, respectively, and Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar.
While civilians should never be caught in the crossfire of war, it seems that the world has forgotten how everything started and how countries react to being attacked. Hamas attacked first and Israel is being villainized, with Hamas telling NBC they expect a similar order for the entire Gaza Strip.
War is ugly. Innocent people on both sides are in danger, families are ripped apart, and the entire world is in a state of fear. If not handled correctly, this fear can quickly turn to hate. Left unchecked, this hate, in turn, becomes dangerous. How the world is treating Israel is an example of this.
