Fiji backs Israel in International Court
Diplomat claims pro-Palestinian countries offer one-side only
Fiji has called on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to reject applications by South Africa and others for an urgent advisory opinion on Israel’s military operations in Gaza.
The statement, delivered by Fiji’s permanent representative to the United Nations and former soldier Filipo Tarakinikini, makes Fiji one of the few nations in the world fully supporting Israel over its assault on Gaza.
Tarakinikini in an oral submission said that ‘in Fiji’s view, this court has unfortunately been presented in these proceedings with a distinctly one-sided narrative. This fails to take account of the complexity of this dispute, and misrepresents the legal, historical, and political context’. He said the October 7 attack last year on Israel (he did not cite Hamas by name) had shown what would happen if Israel made an unconditional withdrawal ‘without the necessary arrangements in place to guarantee the security of Israel and its population.’
The ICJ has been holding public hearings in the advisory proceedings on the Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.
Fiji’s pro-Israel statement, as previously reported, is a consequence of the need for Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka to govern in coalition with another party. The decision, and now the submission, put Fiji United Nations peacekeepers into direct harm's way.
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