South Africa denounces Israel for "genocide" before the International Court of Justice

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) detailed this Friday that it has received documentation from South Africa to begin the complaint procedure against Israel for allegedly committing “genocide” in the Gaza Strip.

According to the documentation submitted by South Africa, “Israel's acts and omissions are of a genocidal nature, as they are committed with the specific requisite intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza as part of the broader Palestinian national, racial and ethnic group,” the report states. UN tribunal in a statement.

South Africa adds that “the conduct of Israel, through its state organs, state agents and other persons and entities acting under its instructions or under its direction, control or influence, in relation to the Palestinians in Gaza, violates its obligations under the Genocide Convention,” the letter adds.

In the documentation provided by Johannesburg, it is added that “Israel has participated, is participating and runs the risk of participating even more in genocidal acts against the Palestinian people in Gaza.”

“South Africa seeks to base the jurisdiction of the Court on Article 36, paragraph 1, of the Statute of the Court and on Article IX of the Genocide Convention, to which both South Africa and Israel are parties,” explains the court.

Let Israel “fulfill” its obligations

South Africa's request thus includes precautionary measures to “protect against additional, serious and irreparable harm to the rights of the Palestinian people under the Genocide Convention” and “to ensure compliance by Israel with its obligations”, which are not to participate in that type of crime, in addition to preventing and punishing it.

In parallel, South Africa requested last November the Prosecutor's Office of the International Criminal Court (ICC), whose authority Israel does not recognize, to open an investigation into the offensive, a request supported by other countries such as Bangladesh, Bolivia, Comoros and Djibouti.

The court's prosecutor then replied that he has already been carrying out an investigation since 2021 into crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories, which “covers conduct that may constitute Rome Statute crimes committed since June 13, 2014 in Gaza and the West Bank.” “, and extends to the “escalation of hostilities and violence since the attacks that took place on October 7.”

This investigation focuses on war crimes that may have been committed in occupied Palestinian territories by both the Israeli Army and the Hamas group and other Palestinian militias.