Published 01/25/2024 10:05 | Edited 01/25/2024 10:37
The judges of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) announced that they must make, this Friday (26), the first decision on the accusation of genocide against Israel presented by South Africa.
In the action, the African country calls for immediate measures to suspend military actions against the Palestinians. A ruling from the court in The Hague ordering an end to the actions could increase international pressure on Israeli authorities.
On December 29 last year, South Africa filed a request against Israel alleging failure to comply with its obligations under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in relation to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
However, the court will only consider possible emergency measures – such as requesting an end to fighting – a type of restraining order to prevent a conflict from worsening while the court analyzes the full case, which normally takes years.
Therefore, the ICJ will not address this Friday whether or not the Israeli Army is committing genocide against the Palestinians.
In the announcement this Wednesday (24), the top court of the United Nations (UN) stated that the panel of 17 judges will deliver its decision at 9am Brasília on January 26th.
On January 11, South Africa formally accused the Israeli State of committing genocide against the Palestinian people due to the attacks on the Gaza Strip that have occurred since October last year and have left more than 25,000 dead, most of them women. and children.
In their arguments, the prosecution lawyers said that “the first genocidal act [de Israel] is the mass murder of Palestinians in Gaza.” Adila Hassim, a lawyer from the South African legal team, highlighted that “Palestinians are killed in their homes, in places where they seek shelter, in hospitals, in schools, mosques, churches, and trying to get food and water for their families.”
Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, another South African advocate, said that “Israel’s attempted genocide is rooted in the belief that the enemy is not just the military wing of Hamas, nor Hamas in general, but the Palestinian people in Gaza.”
Several countries expressed support for South Africa’s complaint in The Hague, such as Brazil, Colombia and Bolivia, in South America.
In a statement, the Brazilian government said that it supports the initiative “to call upon the International Court of Justice to order Israel to immediately cease all acts and measures that may constitute genocide or related crimes under the terms of the Convention for the Prevention and Suppression of the Crime of Genocide”.
Source: vermelho.org.br
