Key Points
- South Africa urges tougher stance on Israel.
- Pretoria intensifies its push at global forums.
- Genocide claims resurface amid Gaza devastation.
By accusing Tel Aviv of committing acts that amount to genocide, South Africa has redoubled calls for the international community to take a stronger stance against Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza.
The statement is a component of Pretoria’s ongoing legal and diplomatic offensive against Israel in the face of the escalating Middle East conflict.
Naledi Pandor, South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, called on more countries to support the nation’s efforts at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), where Israel is accused of committing acts of genocide, during a global solidarity conference in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
The minister charged a number of Western nations with ignoring alleged “gross violations of international law” by Israeli forces.
South Africa advocates for a global response to Gaza
“South Africa cannot remain silent in the face of what is obviously genocide. We are appealing to the global moral conscience,” Pandor stated. “We need more nations to join us in denouncing and stopping Gaza’s destruction.”
This comes after South Africa launched a historic case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) earlier this year, alleging that Israel’s military campaign in Gaza violated the Genocide Convention. Many nations in the Global South have backed the case, but important Western allies have criticized it.
“Ongoing inaction from powerful states only emboldens Israel and undermines the legitimacy of international institutions tasked with upholding human rights,” the minister continued.
Claims of genocide increase legal pressure
Pandor restated that Pretoria would keep using multilateral, diplomatic, and legal channels to strengthen the case against what it calls genocidal actions in Gaza. “Making statements of concern is insufficient; we need to take action,” she said.
Although the International Court of Justice has not yet rendered a decision, the case has increased criticism of Israel’s military strategies, particularly in view of the numerous reported civilian deaths and extensive infrastructure damage in Gaza. More than 30,000 people have reportedly died in the conflict thus far, according to humanitarian organizations.
According to a report by Africa report, the core of South Africa’s legal claim is that the size and severity of the response amount to a willful attempt to wipe out a population, even though Israel has denied targeting civilians and insists it is protecting itself from Hamas attacks.
Pretoria mobilizes supporters to oppose Israel
Because of its position, South Africa is now among the most outspoken state-level opponents of Israel’s Gaza campaign. In addition to hosting delegations from Palestinian organizations, Pretoria has withdrawn its ambassador and suspended diplomatic relations with Israel.
Pandor stated that in order to hold Israel responsible, nations must now take political and economic action in addition to symbolic gestures.
Using comparisons to its own apartheid past, South Africa continues to portray itself as a champion of human rights and international law as the case at the ICJ moves forward. It remains to be seen if its appeal for international intervention is successful, but it has surely increased the stakes in the geopolitical ramifications surrounding Gaza.
