German foreign minister says ICJ ruling on Gaza is "binding" and has "to be followed"

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - MAY 27: German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock delivers a speech during a press conference ahead of the European Union Foreign Ministers meeting held in Brussels, Belgium on May 27, 2024. (Photo by Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The order by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for Israel to halt its military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah is “binding” and has “to be followed,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Monday.

“These provisional measures of the ICJ, they are binding and of course they have to be followed,” she told journalists in Brussels ahead of the EU foreign ministers’ meeting.

“We are currently experiencing the opposite. There have been more rockets on Tel Aviv from Hamas. And at the same time we see that it is no gain for Israel’s security, that no hostage will be freed when right now people are being burned in tents.”

“International law, international humanitarian law, applies to everyone, including Israeli warfare,” Baerbock added.

British jurist Malcolm Shaw, center, and Yaron Wax, left, look on at the International Court of Justice during the case brought before the Hague-based court by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide, in The Hague, Netherlands, on May 24. Johanna Geron/Reuters

Strained relations: The call from Germany, one of Israel’s foremost allies, represents the growing diplomatic pressure on Israel to rein in its military offensive in Gaza.

Germany has also been involved in legal challenges at the ICJ. Last month, Nicaragua accused Germany of “facilitating genocide” in Gaza and requested that the court order Germany to suspend weapons sales to Israel. The ICJ struck down Nicaragua’s demand by 15 votes to one.