Seda Sevencan
11 January 2024•Update: 11 January 2024
ISTANBUL
More than 1,000 popular movements, political parties, unions, and various organizations worldwide called on countries to endorse South Africa's genocide case against Israel.
“We now urge other countries to reinforce this strongly worded and well-argued complaint by immediately filing a Declaration of Intervention with the ICJ, also called the World Court,” they said in a statement.
The statement expressed grave concerns over Israel's genocidal actions, war crimes, and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
“Many countries have rightly expressed their horror at the State of Israel's genocidal actions, war crimes, and crimes against humanity being committed against Palestinians.”
“Israeli Occupying Forces have bombed hospitals, residences, United Nations refugee centers, schools, places of worship, and escape routes, killing and injuring tens of thousands of Palestinians since October 7, 2023. More than half of the dead are women and children,” the statement said.
Citing open declarations from Israeli leaders expressing their intent to permanently displace Palestinians from their own land, the organizations supported South Africa's contention that these actions fall under the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
“South Africa is correct in charging that under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, Israel's actions ‘are genocidal in character, as they are committed with the requisite specific intent … to destroy Palestinians in Gaza as a part of the broader Palestinian national, racial and ethnic group.’”
Underlining the urgency of the situation, the statement pointed out that parties to the Genocide Convention are obligated to prevent genocide.
“A Declaration of Intervention filed with the ICJ in support of the South African case against Israel is one way to ensure that all acts of genocide are stopped and those responsible are held accountable.”
The statement concluded by emphasizing that Israel's actions, including killing, injuring, traumatizing, and displacing Palestinians while denying essential resources to an occupied population, meet the criteria for the crime of genocide.
“If a majority of the world’s nations call for a ceasefire, yet fail to press for prosecution of Israel – what is to stop Israel from ethnically cleansing all Palestinians?”
In a final plea, they urged national governments worldwide to promptly file Declarations of Intervention in support of the South African case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
Amongst the signatories to the statement are Nahostgruppe Mannheim (Germany), Malcolm X Center for Self-Determination (US), Islamic Human Rights Commission (UK), Israelis Against Apartheid (Israel), Jordanian Federation of Independent Trade Unions, Mediciana Democratica (Italy), Institute for the Critical Study of Zionism, One Justice (France), South African Jews for a Free Palestine, and the International Iraqi Women’s Assembly.
In a historic first, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague on Thursday opened its inaugural session on South Africa's genocide allegations against Israel, a development that has garnered widespread support from many nations, echoing global calls for a cease-fire in Gaza, while facing opposition from some countries, including the US and UK.
