South Africa formally accused Israel of crimes of genocide in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the main judicial body of the UN, in The Hague.
In a statement, the Pretoria Government said that an application to this effect was made to the ICJ on Friday to initiate proceedings against Israel in relation to alleged violations by Israel of its obligations under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (the “Genocide Convention”) in relation to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
“The Executive ordered to go to the International Court of Justice in The Hague to obtain an order ordering Israel, which is also a Member State, to refrain from any act that could constitute genocide or related crimes according to the Convention,” highlighted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Foreign Affairs of South Africa (DIRCO) in the statement to which Lusa had access.
“An application to this effect was submitted to the Court on December 29, 2023, requesting the Court to urgently declare that Israel is in breach of its obligations under the Genocide Convention, must immediately cease all acts and measures in violation of these obligations and take a series of related actions,” he added.
Pretoria highlighted that South Africa “is bound by treaty to prevent the occurrence of genocide” as a signatory to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
The government of President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is also president of the African National Congress (ANC) party, in power since 1994 and a former ally of the Palestinian Authority and the armed movement Hamas, stressed that Pretoria “is seriously concerned about the situation of civilians caught up in the current Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip due to the indiscriminate use of force and the forcible transfer of its inhabitants.”
“In addition, there is ongoing information on the commission of international crimes, such as crimes against humanity and war crimes, as well as on acts that meet the threshold of genocide or related crimes, as defined in the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the genocide of 1948, were committed and may continue to be committed in the context of the massacres that are taking place in Gaza,” according to the South African government statement.
In the note, South Africa also underlines that it “has repeatedly stated that it condemns all violence and attacks against all civilians, including Israelis.”
In a statement to which Lusa had access, the UN Judicial Court in The Hague explained that “the plaintiff [República da África do Sul] further states that “Israel, since October 7, 2023 in particular, has neither prevented genocide nor pursued direct and public incitement to genocide” and that “Israel has become involved, is involved, and is at risk of becoming more involved.” in “genocidal acts” against the Palestinian people in Gaza.
Source: TSF
