• South Africa did the right thing with ICJ case against Israel and the government must now take material steps to end all forms of complicity, says Roshan Dadoo, coordinator of the South African BDS movement

• The South African government ‘is showing courage given the global context’ but ‘we all fall short of doing enough to end the genocide and oppression of the Palestinians,’ says activist Muhammed Desai

JOHANNESBURG

When South Africa took the bold step of hauling Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), it captured the world’s attention.

The landmark case accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza – a move that positioned South Africa as one of the most outspoken defenders of international law.

But nearly two years later, many South Africans say it is not enough.

As Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza drags into its third year, public pressure is mounting on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government to go beyond the courtroom by imposing comprehensive sanctions, cutting diplomatic ties, and prosecuting citizens who fought alongside Israeli forces.

Roshan Dadoo, coordinator of the South African Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, told Anadolu that the government must take material steps to end all forms of complicity.

“We still have the Israeli embassy here in Pretoria, and we are calling for that to be shut down and to end trade with Israel,” she said.

The BDS movement is a global campaign aimed at increasing economic and political pressure on Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian land and comply with international law.

“It’s horrific that South Africa’s coal is still being shipped to Israel to support its electricity grid, which fuels the genocide and fuels the illegal settlements,” she said.

Critics have said that coal exports to Israel enable its deadly military operations in Gaza. In August, South Africans took to the streets demanding that their government halt all coal exports to Israel.

Dadoo praised the government’s decision to take Israel to the ICJ, but said Pretoria must now follow through.

“We are literally complicit in genocide. We are complicit in the illegal occupation as long as we don’t take these measures. We also don’t have any policies on sports, on cultural or academic boycott,” she said, noting that while six universities have adopted boycott resolutions in their senates, many others have yet to act.

‘Courage in global context’

Muhammed Desai, director of human rights organization Africa4Palestine, told Anadolu that South Africa’s government “is showing courage given the global context.”

“However, we all fall short of doing enough to end the genocide and oppression of the Palestinians,” he said.

Israeli attacks over the past two years have killed more than 67,000 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them women and children, and wounded nearly 170,000 others, according to figures from Palestinian authorities.

A UN independent international commission of inquiry concluded last month that Israel is committing genocide in the enclave, where its siege and blockade on all essentials has also triggered a famine that has killed more than 460 Palestinians, including over 150 children.

Desai’s organization is calling for the permanent closure of both the South African Embassy in Tel Aviv and the Israeli Embassy in Pretoria.

“In addition, South Africa has no option but to support as well as drive the ban of Israel from all sporting events,” he said.

Johannesburg-based retired academic Guni Govindjee agreed, saying South Africa must impose a full trade embargo on Israel, with which it continues to do business.

“Commodities are being exported to Israel from South Africa. Our president took very bold steps, yes, but (we are) encouraging the Zionists by continuing to trade with them,” he said.

Action against South Africans fighting for Israel

South African advocate Ziyaad Patel told Anadolu that the ongoing genocide case against Israel at the ICJ has set a precedent for governments around the world to create sustainable policies to isolate Israel.

Patel said many South Africans – particularly those of Jewish descent – have traveled to Israel and fought alongside the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), committing war crimes against Palestinians.

The lawyer said he was currently handling a case against individuals who traveled from South Africa to enlist in the Israeli army and committed “heinous crimes” in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Patel said about 74 South Africans were identified as having served in Israel’s war on Gaza in 2008-2009, prompting what became known as the South African Zionist Terrorist Support Corridor Probe.

“This is not something that has just started now,” he said.

In August, former Israeli commander Maj. Gen. Doron Almog was forced to cancel a trip to South Africa over fears he could be arrested for his role in Gaza.

South African law prohibits citizens and permanent residents from participating in or financing foreign military activity without authorization from the National Conventional Arms Control Committee.

Pretoria maintains pressure on Israel

South Africa, which has been highly critical of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, has taken multiple diplomatic and legal measures since October 2023.

Last month, addressing the UN General Assembly, President Ramaphosa urged the ICJ to issue a definitive ruling that genocide is being committed in Gaza and to order an immediate halt to the violence.

“We have the ultimate responsibility to ensure and protect the rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination,” consistent with South Africa’s ICJ case against Israel, he said.

Earlier this month, Ramaphosa condemned Israel’s attack on the Global Sumud Flotilla that tried to take humanitarian aid to Gaza.

He termed it “another grave offense by Israel of global solidarity and sentiment that is aimed at relieving suffering in Gaza and advancing peace in the region.”

In November 2023, South Africa withdrew all diplomats from Tel Aviv for consultations over Israel’s war on Gaza.

A month later, Pretoria filed its case at the ICJ, accusing Israel of violating the Genocide Convention in its actions against Palestinians in Gaza.