By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

South Africa filed a case against Israel in late December arguing that it had violated its obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention.

South Africa is to press ahead with its case of genocide against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and will file its memorial next month, the presidency has said.

“South Africa intends to provide facts and evidence to prove that Israel is committing the crime of genocide in Palestine,” it said in a statement on Tuesday. “This case will continue until the court makes a finding.”

The presidency stressed that while the case is in progress, “we hope that Israel will abide by the court’s provisional orders issued to date.”

South Africa filed a case against Israel in late December arguing that it had violated its obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention. The country has until October 28 to provide the UN court with its arguments for the case.

SA TO FILE ITS MEMORIAL TO THE ICJ

South Africa will file its memorial to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in October 2024. South Africa intends to provide facts and evidence to prove that Israel is committing the crime of genocide in Palestine. https://t.co/EqxzWxG2BS

— The Presidency 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) September 10, 2024

“The case presents a growing global effort towards ensuring peace in the Middle-East,” said the statement, adding that several countries, namely, Nicaragua, Palestine, Turkiye, Spain, Mexico, Libya and Colombia have all joined the South African case against Israel.

The statement comes amid a report by the US-based news website Axios that Israeli diplomats were being instructed to lobby members of the US Congress to pressure South Africa into dropping the case.

Leaked Cable

Citing a leaked cable obtained by Axios, the report said that according to Israeli officials, the Israeli foreign ministry “started a diplomatic campaign in recent weeks to press South Africa not to push forward with the case at the ICJ.”

“The U.S. Congress is a main tool in the effort,” it stated.

Israel Lobbying US Congress to Pressure South Africa to Drop ICJ Genocide Case – Report

“We are asking you to immediately work with lawmakers on the federal and state level, with governors and Jewish organizations to put pressure on South Africa to change its policy towards Israel and to make clear that continuing their current actions like supporting Hamas and pushing anti-Israeli moves in international courts will come with a heavy price,” the cable read.

The diplomats were, amongst others, instructed “to ask members of Congress and Jewish organizations in the U.S. to reach out directly to South African diplomats in the U.S. and make clear South Africa would pay a heavy price if it doesn’t change its policy.”

In the recent national elections in May, the ruling ANC party lost the majority it had held in government since the first democratic elections held in 1994.

Commitment to International Law

In July, the country’s newly appointed Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola however said that the country will continue to leverage global institutions to defend Palestinian rights and ensure the equitable application of international law for all.

‘Our History of Solidarity’ – South Africa to Continue Advocating for Palestine

“South Africa will continue to act within global institutions to protect the rights of Palestinians in Gaza and ensure the fair application of international law for all,” he said.

“Notably, South Africa will continue to do everything within its power to preserve the existence of the Palestinian people as a group, to end all acts of apartheid and genocide against the Palestinian people and to walk with them towards the realisation of their collective right to self-determination and this informed our application to the International Court of Justice,” Lamola added.

In January, the ICJ ordered Israel to take measures to prevent and punish direct incitement of genocide in its ongoing war in Gaza.

Over 41,000 Killed

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.

Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 41,020 Palestinians have, to date, been killed, and 94,925 wounded. Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.

‘Partner in This Crime’ – Euro-Med Says Israel Dropped US-Made Bombs on Tented Gaza Camp

Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.

Millions Displaced

Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.

The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.

Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.

(The Palestine Chronicle)