SA submits ‘overwhelming evidence of genocide’ to ICJ

Muhammad Amin

Undergirding Israel’s murderous evil in Gaza is “the special intent to commit genocide”, South Africa says of its memorium handed in to the International Court of Justice Monday.

It described the 750’page document as “a comprehensive presentation of the overwhelming evidence of genocide in Gaza”.

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office said in a statement the evidence, with exhibits and annexes of over 4 000 pages, was “a reminder to the global community to remember the people of Palestine, to stand in solidarity with them and to stop the catastrophe”.

Israeli ‘untouchables’

Ramaphosa exhorted world leaders to do more to stop the genocide, saying: “The international community cannot stand idly by while innocent civilians – including women, children, hospital workers, humanitarian aid workers and journalists, are killed for simply being. That is a world we cannot accept.”

Israel’s traditional “untouchability” had end, Ramaphosa added: “Israel has been granted unprecedented impunity to breach international law and norms for as long as the UN Charter has been in existence. Israel’s continued shredding of international law has imperilled the institutions of global governance that were established to hold all states accountable.

“The glaring genocide in Gaza is there for all who are not blinded by prejudice to see,” Ramaphosa’s office said.

“The devastation and suffering have been possible only because despite the ICJ and numerous UN bodies’ actions and interventions, Israel has failed to comply with its international obligations,” it said.

The world has watched in horror as countless multi media posts have flooded the world’s screens, showing the lowest levels of human barbarity as Israel has mercilessly prosecuted the annihilation of Gaza.

Spreading to Lebanon

Now, in the interests of protecting Israel’s rights as a defendant, a screen of legal modesty has fallen over proceedings; the rules of court say the memorial and all its evidence may not be made public.

“The filing of this memorial takes place at a time when Israel is intensifying the killing of civilians in Gaza and now seems intent to follow a similar path of destruction in Lebanon,” the Presidency said, adding its document “has generated overwhelming national and international interest”.

The document shows Israel is committing genocide “by promoting the destruction of Palestinians living in Gaza, physically killing them with an assortment of destructive weapons, depriving them access to humanitarian assistance”, the Presidency said.

It noted Israel had ignored provisional measures of the court and was “using starvation as a weapon of war” while seeking “to depopulate Gaza through mass death and forced displacement of Palestinians”.

The statement thanked the ten countries – Chile, the Maldives, Bolivia, Türkiye, Nicaragua, Palestine, Spain, Mexico, Libya, and Colombia – that have joined South Africa in its application.

Immediate ceasefire

“We reiterate our appeal for an immediate cease-fire in Palestine, in Lebanon and entire region, and the start of a political process to ensure a just and lasting peace,” it said.

“The Palestinian struggle against imperialism, Israeli Apartheid and settler colonialism is the daily reality of the Palestinian people. Since 1948, they have faced various forms of colonisation, often backed by historical colonial powers and, more recently, by states intent on shaping a world order in their interests. The global fight against settler colonialism persists in some parts of the world, including in occupied Palestine, both in Gaza and the West Bank.

Ramaphosa emphasised that South Africa’s ICJ action was “an attempt to ensure that the same global solidarity that helped end Apartheid in South Africa should be mobilised to end the Apartheid that Palestinians are experiencing, including an end to the genocide of Palestinians”.