ICJ prepares to hear South Africa’s genocide allegation against Israel

The International Court of Justice (ICJ), often known as the World Court, will begin two days of hearings this week in a lawsuit lodged against Israel in late December for failing to maintain its commitments under the 1948 Genocide Convention.

Israel has dismissed the entire argument as laughable, accusing Pretoria of acting as a “advocate of the devil” for Hamas, the Palestinian group it is fighting in Gaza.

South Africa and Israel are both signatories to the Genocide Convention, which requires them to refrain from committing genocide as well as to prevent and punish it.

Genocide is defined in the treaty as “acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.”

South Africa has long been a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause, and the ruling ANC likened it to their struggle against apartheid, where a white minority ruled over a black majority.

The President Cyril Ramaphosa-led government also announced the withdrawal of its diplomats from Israel, stressing that the position of Israel’s ambassador to Pretoria was becoming “untenable”.

At least 23,357 people have been killed and more than 59,410 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7.

The revised death toll in Israel from the October 7 attack stands at 1,139, according to Al Jazeera.