South Africa +

Israel and The ICJ.

South Africa has urgently submitted a case to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), seeking a declaration that #Israel is violating its obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention in its actions against the Palestinian group Hamas in #Gaza.

The Genocide Convention, established in the aftermath of the #Holocaust, criminalizes attempts to destroy a people in whole or in part. #SouthAfrica alleges that Israel is in breach of this treaty and has asked the #ICJ to issue provisional measures, compelling #Israel to cease its military campaign in #Gaza to prevent further harm to the rights of the #Palestinian people.

ISRAEL REJECTS FILING.

In a first response to South Africa’s suit, Israel’s foreign ministry dismissed the suit as baseless, asserting that #Hamas is responsible for the suffering in Gaza by using civilians as human shields and misappropriating #humanitarian aid.

“Israel has made it clear that the residents of the Gaza Strip are not the enemy, and is making every effort to limit harm to the non-involved and to allow humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip,” the ministry statement said.

While the #ICJ serves as the primary court for resolving state disputes within the #UnitedNations, compliance with its rulings is not guaranteed.

The court application follows South Africa’s recent parliamentary vote in favor of closing the Israeli embassy in Pretoria and suspending all diplomatic relations until a ceasefire is achieved in the ongoing conflict.

In March 2022 the court gave a declaration for #Russia to immediately cease all military operations in #Ukraine.

Proceedings commence at the #ICJ on the 11 Jan 2024.