South Africa on Thursday accused Israel of breaching the UN Genocide Convention, saying that even the October 7 Hamas attack could not justify such alleged actions.
Pretoria has lodged an urgent appeal to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to force Israel to “immediately suspend” its military operations in Gaza. Israel has dismissed the case as “atrocious” and “preposterous”.
“No armed attack on a state territory no matter how serious… can provide justification for or defend breaches of the convention,” said Pretoria’s Justice Minister Ronald Lamola.
“Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 attack has crossed this line and given rise to the breaches of the convention,” he added, setting out South Africa’s case at the ICJ.
WATCH LIVE: South Africa opens the oral argument on its request for the indication of provisional measures in the case #SouthAfrica v. #Israel before the #ICJ: https://t.co/zSouWkztiD
— CIJ_ICJ (@CIJ_ICJ) January 11, 2024
South Africa argues Israel is breaking its commitments under the UN Genocide Convention, a treaty signed in 1948 as the world cried “never again” after the Holocaust.
As a fellow signatory to the treaty, South Africa can take Israel to the ICJ, which rules on disputes between countries and is often described as the “World Court”.
The ruling African National Congress (ANC) has long been a firm supporter of the Palestinian cause, often linking it to its own struggle against the white-minority government, which had cooperative relations with Israel.
South Africa has acknowledged the “particular weight of responsibility” of accusing Israel of genocide and “unequivocally” condemned the Hamas attacks that touched off the war in Gaza.
Israel will present its own arguments on Friday but President Isaac Herzog has already hinted at his country’s likely defence.
