Growing support for SA’s ICJ case
Israel's President Isaac Herzog yesterday labelled SA’s case of genocide against his country as ‘atrocious and preposterous’, but there is growing international support for the case.
News24 reports that more than 1 000 progressive international organisations yesterday expressed support for SA's case, which calls for the immediate halt of military action in Gaza.
The matter is due to be heard at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) tomorrow.
‘We will be there at the ICJ and will present proudly our case of using self-defence under our most inherent right under international humanitarian law,’ he said.
SA’s high-powered legal team is preparing to argue before the ICJ that no armed attack on a state's territory, ‘even an attack involving atrocity crimes’, can justify the violation of the Genocide Convention.
The court will focus the hearings on SA's call for the court to declare interim measures against Israel, pending the determination of the genocide case against it.
The legal team, led by Advocate Adila Hassim SC, will, in oral arguments argue that Israel's military invasion of Gaza after the 7 October attack by Hamas in southern Israel went further than self-defence.
SA’s main thrust to the court is that 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’.
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
