- ICJ files application accuses Israel of genocidal acts against Palestinians in Gaza, seeking provisional measures to protect Palestinian rights under the Genocide Convention.
- Israel rejects South Africa’s accusations as “baseless,” emphasising efforts to limit harm in Gaza.
The ICJ filed an application regarding “concerning alleged violations by Israel of its obligations under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in relation to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip”. The statement contends, “Acts and omissions by Israel… are genocidal in character…”
Within the application, South Africa accused Isreal of “failing to prevent genocide” and “prosecuting the direct and public incitement to genocide”. “Israel has engaged in, is engaging in and risks further engaging in genocidal acts against the Palestinian people in Gaza,” it read.
It further appealed to the ICJ to “indicate provisional measures in order to protect against further, severe and irreparable harm to the rights of the Palestinian people under the Genocide Convention and to ensure Israel’s compliance with its obligations under the Genocide Convention not to engage in genocide, and to prevent and to punish genocide.”
Israel rejects South Africa’s move as “baseless” and “blood libel,” emphasising efforts to limit harm in Gaza.
South African lawmakers voted to close the Israeli Embassy, aligning with their longstanding support for Palestinian statehood.
Many Palestinian and international human rights groups draw parallels between the Israeli occupation and South Africa’s apartheid regime.
Pictured: President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, wearing a Palestinian keffiyeh, draws parallels between Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and the apartheid system that governed South Africa until its abolition in 1994.
