ANTALYA

Lawmakers of the US have taken a negative position towards South Africa since the genocide trial it initiated against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the latter's top diplomat said on Sunday.

"In terms of responses, unfortunately, there are some legislators in the United States of America that have taken a very negative position against my country," South Africa's International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor told Anadolu on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Türkiye.

The US being the world's largest economy, Pandor said its position is posing a danger to investment and employment in South Africa.

"So, we have to continue to lobby the American people to say, 'to act against South Africa when they were pursuing a very moral and correct issue in the global space, would be entirely wrong,'" Pandor further said.

In late 2023 South Africa filed a case at the ICJ, accusing Israel of failing to uphold its commitments under the 1948 Genocide Convention.

The UN court, in its interim ruling on Jan. 26, ruled that South Africa’s claims are plausible. It ordered provisional measures for Israel's government to prevent genocidal acts and allow humanitarian flow into the Gaza Strip, where it has killed more than 30,000 people since the Oct. 7 incursion by Palestinian group Hamas. The initial Hamas attacks killed 1,200 people.

The foreign minister said South Africa is a sovereign nation, has a right "to take up our case," and even though many countries don't agree with its support for Palestine, "this is something we've always had, and we will not turn out back on the Palestinian people."

Asked if Israel implemented the ICJ's provisional measures, Pandor said: "No, they haven't applied. We all know. In fact, [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu has rejected. But this is not surprising. We had the same with apartheid. When there was international rulings by the UN bodies, the apartheid state would say no. So, you're seeing very similar conduct and approach between the apartheid state and the Israeli government."

Apartheid was an institutionalized system of racial segregation in parts of South Africa from 1948 until the early 1990s.

Türkiye communicated its appreciation for South Africa

Pandor said "Türkiye has, from the beginning, said they appreciate the step that South Africa has taken, and always communicated this to us."

"We are hoping that from the region, there will be countries who will join South Africa when the merits of the case are presented," she added. "We are still waiting for a date from the court, but at that time we will see who are really the friends of Palestine."

Journalists under attack

Pandor also commented on the killings of journalists in the Gaza Strip, saying her heart is "pained" and she is "absolutely disgusted" that correspondents "have not been able to operate freely."

"Many have been murdered, and much of the world is silent, including the organizations of journalists, which often talk about press freedom. But today they're not saying much," she said.

Asked about Western stance on the situation in Gaza, the South African diplomat pointed towards racial discrimination.

"Well, this reflects a problem we've often spoken about. Which is that we regard people as different. If you are black, you are less human. If you are Arab, you are less human. If you're a European, you are very human, and so you must be protected. This is how the world is viewed. And I think we need to change that," she said. "And we in the South, we must fight for that to change."

*Writing by Burc Eruygur in Istanbul