South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor emphasized on Wednesday that all nations have a responsibility to cease funding and enabling Israel’s military operations in Gaza following the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) warning that such actions could amount to genocide.
The ICJ instructed Israel to take decisive measures to prevent its troops from engaging in genocidal acts and to address the humanitarian crisis affecting Palestinians in Gaza, in response to a case initiated by South Africa. While the court refrained from demanding an immediate ceasefire, it is yet to rule on the central issue of whether genocide has indeed occurred in Gaza, a decision that may take several years, as reported by Reuters.
South Africa has long been a vocal advocate for the Palestinian cause, drawing parallels between the struggles of Palestinians and those of Black South Africans during apartheid. Despite Israel’s denial of genocide allegations and its rejection of comparisons to the apartheid era, prominent human rights organizations, including B’Tselem, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International, have characterized its actions as indicative of apartheid.
Minister Pandor stated to reporters that the ICJ’s findings strongly suggest the plausibility of genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza, thereby imposing a collective obligation on all nations to discontinue support for Israel’s military endeavors.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa welcomed the ICJ ruling, viewing it as a significant step towards justice, and expressed expectations for Israel to comply with the court’s directives.