By: Khaled Tayeh
As the International Court of Justice (ICJ) prepares to hold its first public hearing on January 11 and 12, 2024, in the lawsuit filed by South Africa against Israel, several world states have expressed their full support of South Africa in the controversial case as Israel is slated to appear before World Court to face accusation that it’s committing genocidal crimes against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
On December 29, South Africa filed a case with the court alleging that Israel is violating the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and committing acts of genocide its aggression against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which began on October 7th.
According to the United Nations, the ICJ, which is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, will hold today its public hearings on the request for the indication of provisional measures submitted by South Africa in the case South Africa v. Israel on 11 and 12 January 2024, at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the seat of the Court. Session held under the presidency of Judge Joan E. Donoghue, President of the Court.
Welcoming South Africa’s application, parties to the Genocide Convention have released official statements expressing their support of the case against Israel, as this is the first time Israel is slated to appear before the ICJ for genocide accusation, in a step that many call ‘historical.’
Jordan’s The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi confirmed that Jordan supports the lawsuit filed against Israel inon charges of genocide and violating the 1948 Convention on the Prevention of the Crime of Genocide.
Among the countries, there is Bangladesh, who released a statement saying that “we also welcome the application filed by South Africa at the International Court of Justice against Israel under the 1948 Genocide Convention and look forward to the upcoming hearing for the provisional measures.”
Malaysia called South Africa’s application against Israel a ‘timely and tangible step. “Malaysia welcomes the decision by South Africa to institute proceedings against Israel before the International Court of Justice concerning violations by Israel of its obligations under the Genocide Convention,” it said in a statement.
Speaking at UNGA, representative of Pakistan said that: “Pakistan welcomes South Africa’s initiative to bring Israel’s transgressions under the Genocide Convention to the International Court of Justice.”
Spokesperson of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Öncü Keçeli, in response to a question regarding the application filed by the republic of Aouth Africa against Israel before the International Court of Justice, said that Turkey welcomes the application and hopes the process will be completed soon.
“We welcome the application filed by the Republic of South Africa to the International Court of Justice regarding Israel’s violation of its obligations under the 1948 “Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide,” he said.
“Israel’s massacre of more than 22 thousand Palestinian civilians in Gaza, the majority of whom were women and children, for nearly three months must not go unpunished and the perpetrators must be held accountable under international law,” he added.
“We hope that the process will be completed as soon as possible,” he concluded.
The Government of Maldives welcomed the application filed by South Africa at the International Court of Justice on 29 December 2023, requesting to declare that Israel is in breach of the 1948 “Convention of the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.”
“The ongoing attacks by the Israeli military have claimed the lives of thousands of innocent Palestinian civilians, especially women and children. The Government considers these deliberate acts of aggression against the innocent civilian population of Palestine a blatant disregard for and violation of international humanitarian law, including the Convention on Genocide,” the Government of Maldives said in a statement.
Namibia also backed the application and said that: “by intent and by number, the actions carried out by Israel are tantamount to genocide. For this reason, we welcome the action of South Africa at the [ICJ]. The statement noted that Namibia both identifies and aligns with the arguments put forward by the government of South Africa.
Going over Latin America, Mexico stressed that “we would redouble our efforts to restrict the use of the veto in situations where mass atrocities are being committed. In this particular case, this matter is now being considered by both the International Criminal Court as well as the International Court of Justice.”
The Government of Colombia welcomed the lawsuit and said that as the President of the Republic Gustavo Petro Urrego has noted since the very beginning of this bloody phase of the conflict in Palestine, “it is very clear that the actions and measures adopted by the government of Israel constitute acts of genocide.”
“Israel is obliged to prevent these international criminal offenses and, consequently, its failure to comply with these commitments entails its responsibility to the entire world,” Colombia said.
The Government of Reconciliation and National Unity of Nicaragua welcomed South Africa’s lawsuit before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
“South Africa’s suit also includes a request for the Court to indicate provisional measures ordering Israel to stop its military campaign in Gaza to protect against further harm to the Rights of the Palestinian People under the Genocide Convention, and to ensure compliance by Israel from its obligations under the Convention,” said the Government of Nicaragua in a statement.
The Government of the Plurinational State of Bolivia said that values the historic action undertaken by the Republic of South Africa.
It said in a statement that Bolivia, committed to peace and justice, signatory to the Genocide Convention, recognizes that South Africa took a historic step in the defense of the Palestinian people, a leadership and effort that should be accompanied by the international community that calls for respect for life, considering that the report prepared by the United Nations said that more than 21,000 people have been killed since October 7, 2023, mostly children and women, reflecting the inhuman actions of Israel.
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela said that positively values the historic action taken by the Republic of South Africa against Israel.
“Venezuela, as a country committed to peace diplomacy, recognizes South Africa’s firm and historic step in defense of the Palestinian people and International Law. This action must be accompanied by the entire international community, with an urgent call for respect for life and human dignity, taking into account that recent reports prepared by the United Nations report more than 21,000 people murdered since October 7, 2023, the vast majority were children and women, which confirms the inhumane actions of Israel,” it said in a statement.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has welcomed the suit.
The OIC has affirmed that the indiscriminate targeting by Israel, the occupying power, of the civilian population and the thousands of Palestinians, mostly women and children, killed, injured, forcibly displaced, and denied basic necessities and humanitarian assistance and the destruction of houses, health, educational and religious institutions, in their totality constitute mass genocide.
The OIC “called upon the Court to respond expeditiously and take urgent measures to stop this mass genocide being perpetrated by the Israeli defense forces in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.”
France’s UN ambassador in New York said that France is a strong supporter of the ICJ and would back the court’s decisions, Human Rights Watch said.
(WAFA)
