Israel refuses to abide by the ICJ orders and continues its attacks on Gaza with the civilian death toll and destruction of infrastructure rising at a rapid pace.
As Israel continues its relentless war in Gaza, President Cyril Ramaphosa said he is confident that South Africa will prove that Israel is perpetrating genocide against the people of Palestine.
Ramaphosa was responding to a question from the leader of the opposition, uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party deputy leader John Hlophe, in the National Assembly on Thursday.
Watch President Cyril Ramaphosa speak about South Africa’s ICJ case
[WATCH] President Cyril Ramaphosa responds to MK Party caucus leader Dr John Hlophe on what the South African government is doing to ensure that the ICJ ruling on Israel’s military action in Palestine is respected.#Newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/n3i2IJKZMk
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) August 29, 2024
Israel defiant
In January, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) determined that genocidal attacks may be happening in Gaza, and ordered Israel to take measures to prevent genocide against Palestinians in the region.
However, Israel refused to abide by the court order and continued its attacks on Gaza and the civilian death toll and destruction of infrastructure continued to rise at a rapid pace.
In March, the ICJ once again agreed with South Africa’s assertion that the situation in Gaza has deteriorated significantly since the initial order on 26 January, which Israel has failed to comply with.
ALSO READ: ICJ sides with SA, tells Israel to prevent genocide in Gaza
ICJ orders
The UN’s top court granted South Africa’s urgent request to enforce additional emergency measures against Israel, accusing it of violating existing measures and causing irreparable harm to the rights invoked by Pretoria under the 1948 Genocide Convention in respect of the ongoing siege of Gaza. But Israel continued.
In May, the ICJ ordered Israel to immediately stop its attacks in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. The decision marked the third time this year the 15-judge panel has issued preliminary orders seeking to rein in the death toll and alleviate humanitarian suffering in Gaza.
SA taking action
When asked by Hlophe what his administration was doing to ensure that the ICJ ruling is respected, “particularly in light of the ongoing brutality in the region,” Ramaphosa said his administration continues to approach the UN’s top court with further pleas and submissions to strengthen the ruling it made in January.
“As the honourable member knows we have continued to take action at the International Court of Justice, having initiated the action last year. We have continued to approach that court with further pleas and submissions to the court to make further rulings and to tighten up what they ruled in our favour last year.”
ALSO READ: ICJ agrees with SA and orders Israel to ensure more aid reaches Gaza
“Proof of genocide”
Ramaphosa said South Africa has also received support from other countries in its case against Israel.
“We’ve been fortunate to be joined by a number of other countries that have voiced and articulated their support for the case that South Africa initiated. We are now in the process of preparing almost a 500 page case which will be presented to the court, where we will be taking steps to prove that what we had approached the court on last year is the reality that Palestinians are living under.
“We will be submitting not only video proof, photographic proof, but also great witness to our assertion that a genocide is unfolding and underway in Gaza, and all this, as the honourable member would know, is being done to not only support the people of Palestine, but to ensure that we live up to our own values and principles of respect for human rights and for justice,” Ramaphosa said.
Ramaphosa said theonly solution for “the horror that is unfolding in Palestine” is for Palestinians to have their own state “side by side with Israel”.
ALSO READ: WATCH: ICJ orders Israel to immediately stop attacks in southern Gaza city of Rafah
