A meeting of the International Court of Justice began with the claim of South Africa, accusing Israel of genocide against the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip.
Public hearings have begun at the International Court of Justice in The Hague on the Republic of South Africa’s claim against Israel for possible genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. It was reported by Ukrinform on Thursday, January 11th.
At today’s hearing, South African representatives presented their position, and Israel will present its position on January 12. The hearings focused on the precautions that the authority has the right to introduce to prevent the situation from escalating.
South Africa’s representative, the republic’s ambassador to the Netherlands, Vusimuzi Madonsela, said that Israel continues an apartheid policy towards the Palestinians. According to him, the actions directed against the Palestinians raise serious concerns about the obligations of Israel and other participating States to prevent crimes against humanity and genocide in the Gaza Strip.
South African Justice Minister Ronald Lamola noted that “for the past 76 years, Palestinians have been subjected to systematic oppression and violence.”
“In the Gaza Strip, since at least 2004, Israel continues to exercise control over airspace, territorial waters, land crossings, water, electricity and civilian infrastructure,” he said in the speech.
South African lawyer Vaughn Lowe called on the court to oblige Israel to stop its operations in the Gaza Strip. “South Africa is asking the International Court of Justice to oblige Israel to stop its military operation in the Gaza Strip. This is the only way to ensure a humanitarian response and prevent further death and destruction,” he said.
Let us recall that South Africa filed a case against Israel for possible violation of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide at the International Court of Justice in The Hague on December 29, 2023. Earlier in November, the South Africa withdrew its ambassador from Israel and removed all diplomatic personnel from the country.
As you know, on October 7 last year, the Palestinian radical group Hamas based in Gaza attacked Israel. In response, the Israel Defense Forces launched a military operation against Hamas.
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.