South Africa To Submit ‘Facts And Evidence’ Of Israel’s Gaza Genocide, War Crimes To World Court
This move marks a significant step in South Africa’s efforts to hold Israel accountable for its actions in Gaza, with the memorial document aiming to provide substantial evidence of alleged genocide.
South Africa has announced plans to submit a memorial document to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) next month, providing evidence of alleged genocide committed by Israel against Palestinians in the Gaza conflict.
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office confirmed the move in statement published on the government website on Tuesday, reaffirming the country’s commitment to pursuing the lawsuit initiated in December against the Israeli government.
The lawsuit accuses Israel’s military response to Hamas’ surprise attack over 11 months ago as “genocidal in character.”
South Africa, Africa’s most advanced economy, is seeking a ruling from the ICJ, based in The Hague, and has vowed to continue the legal action until a verdict is delivered.
This move marks a significant step in South Africa’s efforts to hold Israel accountable for its actions in Gaza, with the memorial document aiming to provide substantial evidence of alleged genocide.
The submission is expected to bolster South Africa’s case and bring attention to the ongoing conflict and its humanitarian impact.
The statement partly read: “South Africa will be filing its memorial to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) next month (October 2024). South Africa intends to provide facts and evidence to prove that Israel is committing the crime of genocide in Palestine.
“This case will continue until the court makes a finding. While the case is in progress, we hope that Israel will abide by the court’s provisional orders issued to date.
“The case represents a growing global effort towards ensuring peace in the Middle-East. Several countries, namely, Nicaragua, Palestine, Turkey, Spain, Mexico, Libya and Colombia have all joined the South African case against Israel.”
Israel declared war on Hamas following a series of raids by the Gaza-based militant group last October 7, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 Israelis, according to Israeli’s figure. Since then, Israeli military operations have resulted in nearly 41,000 Palestinian deaths and 95,000 injuries according to the local health ministry, turning much of Gaza into rubble and rendering it uninhabitable.
South Africa, a longtime supporter of Palestinian independence, has accused Israel of attempting to wipe out a significant portion of the Palestinian population.
SaharaReporters reported in May that the top UN court had ordered Israel to halt its offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah after initially directing it to take all measures to prevent any acts that could be deemed war crimes.
Israel, however, ignored the order with full support of United States as the hostilities have persisted with the bombing of Gaza and occupied West Bank.
Several countries, including Nicaragua, Palestine, Türkiye, Spain, Mexico, Libya, and Colombia, have all moved to join the South Africa’s case against the Israeli government.
The ICJ has set an October 28 deadline for South Africa to present arguments for the continuation of the case.
The statement comes amid reports that West Jerusalem has begun lobbying the US Congress to put pressure on South Africa’s new multi-party government to drop the ICJ suit.
According to a memo cited by Axios on Monday, Israeli diplomats have been told to push for bills targeting the African nation on state and federal levels, so “that even if they won’t materialize, presenting them and talking about them will be important.”
The Israeli diplomats will also try to convince Pretoria that it has a chance to pursue dialogue with Israel “instead of boycotts and punishments,” the paper reports.
