Countries Supporting South Africa's Case Accusing Israel of Genocide

People watch South Africa's presentation on big screen outside the courthouse, January 11, 2024.

As of January 11, at least 64 countries have given their support to South Africa's case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Palestine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates issued a statement on December 29, 2023 welcoming South Africa's case.

On December 30, 2023, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), gave its support for South Africa's case. Its members are: Afghanistan, Albania, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Djibouti, Chad, Indonesia, Morocco, Cote d'Ivoire, Palestine, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Iraq, Iran, Cameroon, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Comoros, Kuwait, Libya, Lebanon, Maldives, Malaysia, Mali, Egypt, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Surinam, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Togo, Tunisia, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Oman, Jordan, Yemen.

The Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement on January 2 welcoming the case. It reiterated a call for an independent Palestinian state "based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital."

Türkiye, a NATO member, has also officially announced its support for South Africa's case against Israel at the ICJ, asserting that the occupation is committing genocide of Palestinians in its ongoing war on Gaza. In a statement issued January 3 by the Turkish Foreign Ministry, spokesperson Oncu Keceli said that Türkiye welcomes the South African case and expects that the ICJ will issue an interim injunction ordering Israel to stop its attacks on Gaza -- an implementation which Türkiye would be following.

Citing the murder of Palestinian civilians, the majority of whom were women and children, in Gaza for nearly three months, Keceli said they "should not go unpunished in any way." "Those responsible for this must be held accountable before international law," he said, expressing Türkiye's hope "that the process will be completed as soon as possible."

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said on January 4 that his country would back South Africa.

The Foreign Ministry of Maldives issued a statement on January 4 welcoming South Africa's application to the ICJ.

Bolivia took its stand to back South Africa on January 7 with its Foreign Minister Mamani noting:

"Israel violates International Law through the treatment of the civilian population in armed conflicts." He urged the international community to end Israel's occupation of Palestine, allow its people to exercise their right to self-determination in a free, independent and sovereign state within pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Bangladesh said it welcomed the case during a UN General Assembly session on January 9.

Namibia also expressed its support for the case during the January 9 UN General Assembly session, saying, "By intent and by number, the actions carried out by Israel are tantamount to genocide [...] For this reason, we welcome the [...] action of South Africa at the [ICJ]. Namibia both identifies and aligns with the arguments put forward by the government of South Africa."

Pakistan, during the January 9 UN General Assembly session, said it "welcomes South Africa's initiative to bring Israel's transgressions under the Genocide Convention to the International Court of Justice."

So too Nicaragua issued a statement on January 9 saying in part: "As a State Party to the Genocide Convention, Nicaragua urges Israel to fulfill its obligations under International Law and to immediately end its military assault against the Palestinian People." It also called for an end to the occupation, the establishment of conditions for a lasting and permanent solution that respects the 1967 borders with a sovereign and independent Palestinian state.

The government of Venezuela issued a press release on January 9 that said in part, "Venezuela, as a country committed to peace diplomacy, recognizes South Africa's firm and historic step in defence of the Palestinian people and International Law."

On January 9, the Secretary-General of the Arab League affirmed the organization's support for the case. Its members are: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

Brazil's Foreign Ministry said in a January 10 statement that considering "the flagrant violations of international humanitarian law," the country's president expressed support for South Africa's case with the goal of ordering "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 Punishment of the Crime of Genocide."

The Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a press release on January 10 commending the Government of South Africa for its lawsuit which it called a brave step in the right direction. It stated that “from the very beginning of the bloody phase of the conflict in Palestine, it is very clear that the actions and measures adopted by the government of Israel constitute acts of genocide. As a State, Israel is obliged to prevent and avoid these international criminal offenses at all costs and, consequently, its failure to comply with these commitments entails its responsibility to the entire world.” The press release further stated that “Colombia intends to enforce the high objectives of the Convention to which it is also a State party and is therefore willing to accompany this judicial action through resources and procedural tools provided by the Statute and practice of the International Court of Justice.”

Cuba's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on January 11, issued a statement decrying Israel's mass killings and impunity in Gaza and affirmed that as a signatory to the Genocide Convention, it expressed its support for South Africa's case before the ICJ. "Despite repeated calls for peace in the illegally occupied territories, for the past 75 years a crime of genocide has been clearly being perpetrated and is now taking on extreme proportions and requires the joint action of the peoples and governments of the world to immediately halt the indiscriminate extermination of girls, boys, women and the civilian population in general," the statement said.

---

This article was published in

Volume 54 Number 4 - January 12, 2024

Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2024/Articles/MS54043.HTM

Website:  www.cpcml.ca   Email:  editor@cpcml.ca