Israel Rejects South Africa's 'Baseless' Pursuit of Genocide Order From Top UN Court for Conduct in Gaza
'Israel has failed to prevent genocide' in Gaza, South Africa said. Israel's Foreign Ministry responded, calling the court application a baseless 'blood libel'
South Africa asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Friday for an urgent order declaring that Israel was in breach of its obligations under the Genocide Convention in its ongoing crackdown against Hamas in Gaza.
"Israel, since 7 October 2023 in particular, has failed to prevent genocide and has failed to prosecute the direct and public incitement to genocide," South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation said in a statement.
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The court application, filed on Friday, is the latest move by South Africa, a vociferous critic of Israel's war, to ratchet up pressure after its lawmakers last month voted in favor of closing down the Israeli embassy in Pretoria and suspending all diplomatic relations until a ceasefire was agreed in Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza.
It said it had requested that the ICJ declare "on an urgent basis that Israel is in breach of its obligations in terms of the Genocide Convention, should immediately cease all acts and measures in breach of those obligations and take a number of related actions."
Israel rejected "with disgust" South Africa's genocide case against it, calling the case a baseless "blood libel" with no legal merit, and said it was committed to abiding by international law in its war on Hamas in Gaza.
"South Africa is collaborating with a terrorist group that calls for Israel's destruction," a statement from Israel's Foreign Ministry said. "The people of Gaza are not an enemy of Israel, who is making efforts to limit harm to non-combatants."
The ICJ is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations and helps settle disputes between states in accordance with international law.
South Africa has backed the Palestinian cause for statehood in Israeli-occupied territories for decades, likening the plight of Palestinians to those of the Black majority in South Africa during the repressive apartheid-era, a comparison Israel vehemently denies.