• Adverse ruling in case brought by South Africa may have ‘significant symbolic’ impact
• Blinken presses Tel Aviv to avoid harming civilians in Gaza

THE HAGUE: Israel and South Africa face off at the UN’s top court from Thursday, after Pretoria accused Israel of “genocidal acts” in Gaza, charges the Israelis have dismissed as “blood libel”.

In an 84-page submission to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), South Africa urged judges to order Israel to “immediately suspend its military operations” in Gaza.

South Africa alleges that Israel “has engaged in, is engaging in, and risks further engaging in genocidal acts against the Palestinian people in Gaza”.

Israel has angrily hit back at the accusations, with government spokesman Eylon Levy vowing to fight the South African case he described as “absurd blood libel”.

Top officials from the two countries will face off in the ICJ’s Great Hall of Justice housed in the extravagant Peace Palace in The Hague.

The ICJ rules on disputes between states and while its decisions are legally binding, it has limited power to enforce them. The court could in theory order Israel to stop its invasion but it is highly doubtful it would be obeyed.

In March 2022, the ICJ ordered Russia to “immediately suspend” its invasion of Ukraine — a directive Moscow has ignored. Johann Soufi, a lawyer and international justice expert, said there would be an “extremely significant symbolic impact” if the court ruled against Israel.

“Of course there is the problem of implementing the decision. But at the end of the day, international justice is all there is left,” said Soufi, who worked for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees in Gaza.

’Criminally complicit

South Africa has filed the case against Israel because both countries have signed the UN Genocide Convention, created in 1948 as a response to the Holocaust.

Any country that has signed the convention can sue another at the ICJ if they disagree on the “interpretation, application or fulfilment” of the rules designed to prevent genocide.

South Africa said it was “acutely aware of the particular weight of responsibility in initiating proceedings against Israel for violations of the Genocide Convention”. It also “unequivocally” condemned the Hamas attack, but said “no armed attack… no matter how serious… can provide any possible justification for breaches” of the Genocide Convention.

Pretoria’s case is that Israeli action in Gaza is “intended to bring about the destruction of a substantial part of the Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group”. It says Israel’s “genocidal acts” stem from the killing of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza, forced displacement, and preventing adequate aid access, resulting in starvation.

South Africa wants the ICJ to impose so-called “provisional measures”, or emergency actions, while the broader case is being considered — which would probably take years.

Other measures requested by South Africa include reparations and reconstruction of Gaza, plus the safe return of displaced Palestinian refugees.

Blinken

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday urged Israeli leaders to avoid harming civilians and told them creation of a Palestinian state was the key to a long-term solution.

Blinken is on his fourth visit to the Middle East since Israel began its offensive against Gaza in October.

The Israeli air and ground assault has now killed 23,210 Palestinians and international concern is mounting.

Blinken met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Tel Aviv’s Kirya military base, and then with Netanyahu’s war cabinet.

The US diplomat stressed “the importance of avoiding further civilian harm and protecting civilian infrastructure in Gaza,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

Earlier, Blinken held talks in Jordan, Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and said that Washington’s Arab allies wanted closer relations with Israel but only if that included a “practical pathway” to a Palestinian state.

Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2024