South Africa has filed an application against Israel at the
International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing the country of crimes of
genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
The ICJ, also called the World Court, is a United Nations
(UN) civil court that adjudicates disputes between countries.
It is distinct from the International Criminal Court (ICC),
which prosecutes individuals for war crimes.
As members of the UN, both South Africa and Israel are bound
by the court.
South Africa said it initiated the proceedings against the
Jewish nation on Friday because it is “gravely concerned with the plight of
civilians caught in the present Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip due to the
indiscriminate use of force and forcible removal of inhabitants”.
“Furthermore, there are ongoing reports of international
crimes, such as crimes against humanity and war crimes, being committed as well
as reports that acts meeting the threshold of genocide or related crimes as
defined in the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide,
have been and may still be committed in the context of the ongoing massacres in
Gaza,” the South African presidency said.
South Africa said Israel’s actions in Gaza “are genocidal in
character, as they are committed with the requisite specific intent… to destroy
Palestinians in Gaza as a part of the broader Palestinian national, racial and
ethnical group”.
ISRAEL REJECTS SUIT
In response to the suit, Lior Haiat, Israel’s minister of
foreign affairs, said his country “rejects with disgust the blood libel spread
by South Africa in its application”.
Haiat said South Africa’s claim lacks factual and legal
basis, adding that it constitutes a “despicable and contemptuous exploitation”
of the court.
The Israeli official also accused South Africa of
cooperating with a terrorist organisation that is seeking the destruction of
the Jewish nation.
“Israel is committed
to international law and acts in accordance with it, and directs its military
efforts solely against the Hamas terrorist organization and the other terrorist
organizations cooperating with Hamas,” the minister said.
“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 civilians
and to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. We call on
the International Court of Justice and the international community to
completely reject South Africa’s baseless claims.”
Since the October 7 attack where Hamas, the Palestinian
militant group, killed some 1200 persons in Israel and took hundreds hostage,
the Jewish nation has rejected global calls for a ceasefire saying the war
would not stop until Hamas is destroyed.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza has pegged the
casualties at over 21,000 but Israel has rejected the reports and accused Hamas
of inflating the numbers.
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