Today, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) concluded its first session after hearing the plea of South Africa against Israel, accusing it of committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The president of the Court, American judge Joan Donoghue, read out a list of procedural matters that the court will consider in examining the lawsuit, with the participation of judges from both South Africa and Israel, to ensure integrity and transparency, as she expressed it.
South Africa demands Israel immediately halt its military actions in the Gaza Strip, presenting a set of indicators about these operations and how they amount to genocide.
The South African legal team stated that Israel has intensified its crimes against Palestinians since 1948 and subjected Palestinians to an apartheid regime. It added that the international community failed to prevent the genocide in Gaza.
The team pointed out that Israel's actions in the Gaza war indicate an intention to commit genocide, with hundreds of families in Gaza killed completely, leaving no survivors.
Furthermore, the South African legal team asserted that Israel deliberately creates conditions that deprive Palestinians of shelter and clean water and has imposed conditions in Gaza that do not allow for survival and physical destruction of Palestinians.
The Minister of Justice of South Africa commented that Palestinians are subjected to relentless bombing, wherever they go and are killed in any place they seek refuge. He emphasized that Israel launched a major attack on Gaza and violated the Genocide Convention.
Approximately three months after the war on Gaza, Israel agreed to appear before the court to refute what it described as "absurd accusations that lack any factual or legal basis."
However, the Israeli press reported serious concerns within the Israeli security and public prosecutor's institutions that the ICJ may charge Israel with genocide.
The hearings will address South Africa's demand for emergency measures and require Israel to suspend its military operations in Gaza. Meanwhile, the court will deliberate on the merits of the case, a process that could take years.
In the 84-page lawsuit, South Africa points out that Israel has failed to provide essential food, water, medicine, fuel, shelter, and other humanitarian aid to the residents of the Strip.
The lawsuit also refers to the continuous bombing campaign that has destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes, forced about 1.9 million Palestinians to flee, and resulted in the death of 23,000 people, according to health authorities in Gaza.
A panel of 17 judges, including two from Israel and South Africa, will hear three-hour arguments from each side. A ruling regarding the interim measures is expected later this month, and ICJ judgments are binding, although the court does not have the power to enforce them.
In a sign of the gravity of the term genocide, Israel sent a former Supreme Court judge who had survived the Nazi Holocaust, which occurred before the signing of the Genocide Convention. South Africa will appoint a judge who spent a decade in his youth on Robben Island, where he met former South African President Nelson Mandela.
Separately, another court in The Hague – the International Criminal Court (ICC) – is investigating atrocities committed in Gaza, the West Bank, and the October 7 attack on Israel but has not named any suspects. Israel is not a member of the ICC and rejects its jurisdiction.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa stated, "Our opposition to the ongoing massacre of the people of Gaza has compelled us as a country to turn to the International Court of Justice."
He continued, "As a people who once tasted the bitterness of dispossession, discrimination, racism, and state-sponsored violence, we are clear that we will stand on the right side of history."
In response, the Israeli government spokesperson Ilon Levy said, "Tomorrow (Thursday), the State of Israel will represent itself before the International Court of Justice to refute the groundless blood libel launched by South Africa, providing political and legal cover for the tyrannical Hamas regime."
Hamas official Osama Hamdan urged the ICJ not to yield to what he called pressures and dictates from the U.S. administration seeking to disrupt the court. He considered the U.S. administration complicit in the ongoing massacre against Palestinians in Gaza.
The Arab League fully supports and endorses the lawsuit brought by South Africa against Israel, anticipating a just verdict to cease the aggressive war on Gaza and to stop the Palestinian bloodshed.
Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the Arab League, stated that the General Secretariat supports South Africa's efforts in all possible ways by providing any assistance to the Palestinian cause and reinforcing the Palestinian position.
Libya's Presidential Council confirmed its support for the lawsuit against Israel. Tunisia stated that although it will not join any lawsuit against Israel, as it implies recognition of the entity, it will present oral arguments.
Meanwhile, in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, dozens gathered to "thank" South Africa for its ICJ lawsuit. The mayor of Ramallah, Issa Qassis, addressed the crowd from in front of a 6-meter tall statue of Nelson Mandela, a gift from the municipality of Johannesburg in 2016, and expressed gratitude towards South Africa for listening to the voices and pains of the Palestinians.
