Support grows for SA’s ICJ case against Israeli ge...

Support grows for SA’s ICJ case against Israeli genocide

*ICJ conducts pubic hearings on Equatorial Guinea vs FRance*

Oscar J Jeke

Over 900 global movements, political parties and states have put their weight behind South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

This comes as South Africa is due to present its oral argument tomorrow, January 11 at the ICJ after instituting an application for the court to indicate provisional measures in order to protect further harm on the rights of the Palestinian people.

In a statement, a group of organisations commended South Africa’s initiative to the ICJ, invoking the Genocide Convention against Israel.

“South Africa is correct in charging that under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, Israel’s actions are genocidal in character, as they are committed with the requisite specific intent,” read the statement.

Jordan Minister of Foreign Affairs has also announced that his country backs South Africa’s genocide case against Israel in the ICJ noting that, “the Jordanian government is working on a legal file to follow up on the case”.

The two states of Maldives and Venezuela have become the new backers of the case by South Africa, with both governments publicly expressing their support for the case.

The state of Maldives posted a statement confirming their support for South Africa noting: “The Government of Maldives welcomes the application filed by South Africa at the International Court of Justice on 23 December, 2023 requesting to declare that Israel is in breach of the 1948 Convention of the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.”

Spain, Belgium, Turkey, Malaysia and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation are part of the States that have announced their backing of the case.

The ICJ will hold the public hearings at the Peace Palace on January 11 and 12 with oral argument presentations from South Africa and Israel respectively.