MIDDLE EAST CRISIS
How South Africa seeks an order to stop the carnage in Gaza and prevent a genocide
South Africa says a court preventive order will force the UN General Assembly and the Security Council to stop the sale of arms to Israel.
South Africa hopes to secure a binding order from the International Court of Justice this week to force the UN and its Security Council to stop weapons supplies to Israel as part of a genocide preventive measure.
The bombs from the US, UK and Germany that continue raining on Gaza have destroyed most of the city, and by 8 January had killed 22,835 people (9,000 children, 5,300 women), according to Gaza’s health ministry.
About 85% of the displaced population is from the 355,000 destroyed homes of 2.3 million people, according to SA’s application to the International Court of Justice.
By 29 October 2023, it was estimated that 6,000 bombs per week had been dropped on the tiny enclave, changing the colour of the territory from ochre to the grey of rubble when viewed from space, according to an AP report.
UN special rapporteurs say Gaza is now in an “apocalyptic situation”.
Armed with files of recorded alleged genocide rhetoric by senior Israeli leaders, South Africa will seek to prove genocidal intent.
According to Israel’s government spokesperson, Eylon Levy: “The State of Israel will appear before the International Court of Justice at the Hague to dispel South Africa’s absurd blood libel.
“How tragic that the rainbow nation that prides itself on fighting racism will be fighting pro bono for anti-Jewish racists. We have no doubt that after the Jewish State brings to justice the perpetrators of the bloodiest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, history will judge South Africa for abetting the modern heirs of the Nazis.”
(Blood libel is a historic term where Jewish people were falsely accused of stealing children for their blood, to justify attacks on them.)
A layered case in 84 pages
South Africa’s 84-page application is an encyclopaedia of facts over argument, which it uses to layer a case for a rising genocide which requires an immediate cessation to stop it from becoming a full-scale 21st-century genocide.
It does not have to prove actual genocide at this point because it seeks a preservation or interim order ahead of an entire argument in terms of the Genocide Convention of 1948, an instrument forged in the fires of the Holocaust to ensure its horror would never happen again.
But it continues, as advocate Adila Hassim, who has led many of South Africa’s most revolutionary cases, will argue.
“… acts and omissions by Israel 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 ethnical group,” Hassim could argue as she opens South Africa’s case on Thursday morning.
She will present a fusion of data and facts, which the team argue are the backbone of a rising genocide.
South Africa will sketch a context of 75 years of apartheid for Palestinians, a 56-year occupation and a 16-year Gaza blockade, which have created an open-air prison for its people.
At the same time, South Africa’s team will repeat that “South Africa condemns all violations of international law by all parties, including the direct targeting of Israeli civilians and other nationals and hostage-taking by Hamas and other Palestinian groups.”
Genocidal intent
The most important part of the two-hour argument is likely to be the proposition that Israel has shown genocidal intent.
This is likely to be argued by international law expert John Dugard or senior counsel Max du Plessis, who often appears in The Hague. To do this, the lawyers have compiled statements made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, the Israeli cabinet, Knesset members and military leaders.
Their own words dehumanise Palestinians, threaten their permanent removal and suggest extinction, the team will argue.
The South African application says, “Evidence of Israeli State Officials’ specific intent (dolus specialis) to commit and persist in committing genocidal acts or to fail to prevent them has been significant and overt since October 2023.
“Those statements of intent – when combined with the killing, maiming, displacement and destruction on the ground, together with the siege – evidence an unfolding and continuing genocide.”
Eylon Levy says that Hamas had genocidal intent when it perpetrated an act of genocide on Israeli soil on 7 October.
“It was an act of genocide perpetrated with Nazi-like cruelty and Nazi-like efficiency, in the service of Nazi-like ideology,” said Levy.
In their arguments, Du Plessis and Dugard are also likely to list how many UN agencies have warned about the likelihood of genocide. Here are some examples:
On 19 October 19 2023, the UN special rapporteurs said there was a risk of genocide; on 27 October, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination warned of racist hate speech and dehumanisation; also on 27 October, the New York office head of the UN Human Rights High Commissioner stepped down, saying a textbook case of genocide was occurring in real-time.
On 2 November, eight UN special rapporteurs said they remained convinced that the Palestinian people are at grave risk of genocide.
By 16 November, 15 special rapporteurs said there was a genocide in the making.
South Africa itself has warned nine times of looming genocide in speeches at the UN and other fora and in its note verbale to the Israeli ambassador Eli Belotserkovsky, who has since been recalled to Tel Aviv.
“South Africa considers that the conduct of Israel – through its State organs, State agents and other persons and entities acting on its instructions or under its direction, control or influence… is in violation of its obligations under the Genocide Convention.”
It argues that Israel has failed to prevent, has committed, has conspired to commit, directed and publicly incited to commit and attempted to commit genocide.
It summarises the actions as the killing of Palestinians, the forced evacuations out of 85% of their land, widespread hunger, dehydration and starvation, medical needs and imposing measures to prevent Palestinian births.
“Israel has perpetrated and is perpetrating genocidal acts. Nowhere is safe in Gaza,” says the application.
The papers say that the killing of more than 100 journalists and the regular shuttering of communications networks is deliberate, to control news of what is happening during attacks.
Israel allows only embedded journalists who travel with the Israeli Defence Force and has forbidden fact-finding missions or journalists who want to report independently, says South Africa.
In two days of arguments, where each state party will have only two hours, the requested finding is limited by time and urgency.
“At this stage of the proceedings, however, the Court is not called upon to determine definitely whether the rights which South Africa seeks to protect exist; it need only decide whether it is satisfied that the rights asserted by South Africa on the merits are at least plausible in a possible interpretation of the (Genocide) Convention,” reads the application.
With a low bar and a mountain of evidence, numerous commentators believe South Africa has an excellent chance of securing measures to shield Palestinians from the worst of the ongoing violence.
“For the purposes of indicating provisional measures, the Court does not need to establish definitely that Palestinians are at risk of genocide, that they are being subject to genocidal acts, or that Israel is otherwise breaching its obligations under the Genocide Convention. Rather, it is sufficient that the obligation of South Africa to act to prevent genocide, or the right of South Africa to seek compliance by Israel with its obligations under the Convention not to commit genocide, and to prevent and punish genocide and related prohibited acts under the Convention be ‘plausible’.”
As the team concludes the hearing and makes the plea, they will ask the 15 judges on the bench to make the order that Israel immediately suspend military operations in Gaza; that it stop the killings of the Palestinian group; that it end conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or part, and that it stop imposing measures to prevent Palestinian births.
In addition, the siege, which has caused hunger and hardship, must end to open up food, fuel, water and other humanitarian assistance.
The team will also shape an argument that what is under way is the destruction of a way of Palestinian life through the razing of the built environment, the destruction of libraries and other cultural heritage, and the killings of many academics who are the crucible of history and culture.
It may use the example of Shuja’iyya, which the application describes as “a suburb of Gaza City, once home to approximately 110,000 Palestinians [which] appears to now be a vast wasteland, entirely flattened as far as the eye can see.
“Its shops, schools, vibrant marketplaces, family homes, doctors, clinics, historic streets and the Ibn Uthman Mosque, and everything that once sustained Palestinian life there, has been damaged or destroyed, along with so many of its people.”
Genocide is different to war crimes or crimes against humanity in that it seeks extermination, much as the Nazis sought of the Jewish people. The destruction of Palestinian life will be an essential part of Thursday’s argument.
The SA team will ask the judges to submit a report on their request within a week to give effect to the order.
At the time of writing, South Africa’s case is supported by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation countries (58 countries including Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iran, Türkiye, Indonesia, Jordan and Palestine). Bolivia and Colombia have also signed on.
Nine hundred civil society movements, unions and support groups have revealed a global petition to pressure their governments to sign on.
How it will work
The application by South Africa and the response by Israel will be heard on Thursday, 11 January and Friday for three hours for each country. In an interview with Daily Maverick, an outcome to preserve life and stop violence is expected in 10 days to two weeks, said the director-general of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, Zane Dangor.
South Africa is fielding a multinational eight-person team led by senior counsel Adila Hassim and Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, advised by international lawyer John Dugard and by Max du Plessis, both of whom are senior counsel and who spend most of their professional time in The Hague.
In addition, the government has drafted two international lawyers, the Irish lawyer Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh KC and Vaughan Lowe KC. Ní Ghrálaigh has developed the arguments with South Africa for months, and she will close arguments on Thursday. She has worked on genocide cases in Croatia and Serbia.
Read more in Daily Maverick: Israel-Palestine War
The complete Israeli statement on the ICJ case
Transcript of a statement at the PMO Press Conference on January 2, 2024, attributable to Israeli government spokesman Eylon Levy:
“On October 7, Hamas perpetrated an act of genocide on Israeli soil. Its death squads executed a campaign of systematic extermination, with a clear mission to murder as many Israelis as possible — as sadistically as possible.
“It was an act of genocide perpetrated with Nazi-like cruelty and Nazi-like efficiency in the service of a Nazi-like ideology. The only reason Hamas didn’t succeed in committing further genocide is because our security forces stopped them.
“Hamas openly makes clear its genocidal intent. On October 24, Hamas official Ghazi Hamad told Lebanese television: ‘We must teach Israel a lesson, and we will do this again and again. The Al-Aqsa Flood is just the first time, and there will be a second, a third, a fourth’.
“He goes on: ‘Nobody should blame us for the things we do. On October 7, October 10, October 1,000,000 – everything we do is justified.’
“Hamas is hellbent on the genocide of the Jews, and it is hellbent on sacrificing its civilians for that cause. We are fighting to remove the threat of annihilation, bring back the hostages trapped in the Terror Dungeons, and thwart Hamas’ systematic abuse of its civilian population.
“The State of Israel emphatically condemns South Africa’s decision to play advocate for the devil and make itself criminally complicit with the perpetrators of the October 7 Massacre.
“On October 8, South Africa openly aligned itself with the Hamas Rapist Regime when it blamed Israel for Hamas’ violation of the ceasefire and covered up Hamas’ crimes against humanity. It is now aiding and abetting that machinery of genocide.
“Collaborating with the perpetrators of genocide is, alas, not new to South Africa, which backed Omar Al Bashir after he was indicted for genocide in Darfur.
“While the Hamas Rapist Regime does everything to maximise civilian casualties with its despicable Human Shield Strategy, Israel is employing measures unprecedented in the history of warfare to minimise civilian casualties.
“In word and deed, we have been clear that we are targeting the October 7 monsters — and are innovating ways to uphold international law, including the principles of proportionality, precaution, and distinction in the context of a counterterror battlefield no army has faced.
“That is why we spent weeks urging the residents of northern Gaza to evacuate before the ground offensive. We made over 70,000 phone calls to warn civilians, sent 13 million text messages, left 14 million voice messages, and dropped nearly 7 million leaflets, urging civilians to evacuate temporarily for their safety, informing them about humanitarian pauses and precise evacuation routes.
“That is why we secured humanitarian corridors for civilians to escape Hamas, set up a helpline for civilians to tell the army if Hamas was stopping them from fleeing, and designated a humanitarian zone in one of the only places in Gaza where Hamas was not already hiding behind civilians.
“The Hamas Rapist Regime bears the full moral responsibility for all casualties in this war that it started and is waging from inside and underneath hospitals, schools, mosques, homes, and UN facilities.
“In giving political and legal cover to the October 7 Massacre and the Hamas Human Shield Strategy, South Africa has made itself criminally complicit with Hamas’ campaign of genocide against our people. It shares culpability for the tragic loss of human life.
“The State of Israel will appear before the International Court of Justice at The Hague to dispel South Africa’s absurd blood libel.
“How tragic that the rainbow nation that prides itself on fighting racism will be fighting pro bono for anti-Jewish racists. We do not doubt that after the Jewish State brings to justice the perpetrators of the bloodiest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, history will judge South Africa for abetting the modern heirs of the Nazis.
“We assure South Africa’s leaders: history will judge you, and it will judge you without mercy.” DM
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Complete and utter joke
Might be a joke to you, but not sure how many people are laughing
Wonder why no Muslim country of the middle east joined our jokers??
You find the deaths of thousands on both sides of the conflict to be a joke?
Meanwhile we keep bombing while we have bombs lest any escape.?
Can’t help but to wonder just how capable the ICJ is?
UN puppet – They will condemn Israel despite the facts. Israel should tear up the charge sheet in front of the panel of Judges. UN has done Israel no favours.
That is why it has designated UN personal as targets for assassination, as it has not just journalists and their families . It openly displayed its contempt for the UN as a body by insulting the secretary general in its first hearing on this matter. Naturally many of the other colonialist conspirators ‘west’ secretly sided with the Zionists outbursts, with the US and UK openly and unashamedly. These countries together make up no more than 10% of the world population … but believe they are somehow superior the other 90% … and can dictate to then what they can and can’t do. The big daddy syndrome. Some ‘western’ states having realised the folly of their arrogance, quickly changed tack, in order not to be exposed as the polecats of the world community. However absolute hubris prevented the US from doing the same and inspired by that intransigence, Israel continued showing the UN the up yours signal .. like apartheid SA did for quite a while. Now the last apartheid state in the world .. is still standing … and proud of its ‘achievements’ (sic) not unlike Trump ! Psychopathy takes many forms I guess.
The ANC and Hamas are like minded organisations – terrorists by nature. Who will enforce such a court order where some of the most powerful nations, who makes the biggest financial contributions to the UN, are involved. The ANC should rather attend to SA’s myriad of problems before meddling in other countries’ affairs. And I don’t think anything that anybody says will sway Israel.
No one had any sway with Hitler either in trying to stop the genocide of Jews during the Holocaust.
So happy you agree there is now an Israel to stop the genocide of Jews because no-one else has ever done it or will do it.
A salient and intelligent response
Almost as salient and ‘intelligent’ as yours ! Satire or sarcasm does not suit you. Try something different.
If the modern state of Israel had existed before 1939 the holocaust would not have happened
That is a huge assumption
I think it is called pie in the sky ? Some might disagree and say living in cuckoo land ! The only problem being they don’t stay there .
The South African government should be ashamed of itself. How can South Africa call itself a Christian country when its government openly supports the extermination of Jews. What a disgrace!
The Republic of South Africa (under our Constitution) is not and never has been a “Christian country”.
You nailed it, Thulani.
Jews in Israel are not Christians
South Africa is a Secular State. Not sure where you heard that it’s a christian country?
Wayne, please indicate where I can find truthful information that the government supports the extermination of Jews. Please.
SA ANC supports Hamas – Hamas calls for the extermination of Jews – ERGO – SA ANC supports the extermination of Jews
Dogs hate cats, cats hate mice, ergo dogs hate mice?
Many SA Christians support Israel. The ANC gov and their Islamic acolytes like Pandor support Hamas.
The SA Government is quick to take sides, forgetting Russia’s genocide towards the Ukrainian people, by bombing the country and displacing more than 5 Million+ citizens and residents.
That is still happening as we speak, and when it suits the SA Government they turn a blind eye, to the war lord of Russia.
If it were me, I would suggest the SA Government reframe from involving themselves in the Court Order as it looks bias and one sided overview of the current wars Asia and Middle East. Just saying.
Indeed! See my comment below
Ukraine does not need South Africa. It is a proxy to the mighty powerful West. When South Africa and other African countries tried to intervene, they were ridiculed by both Ukraine and its sponsors. The Palestinians need friends in their time of need and the Africans, through South African, are doing just that. Let the Europeans and Americans continue their support for Ukraine and Israel and lets meet at the ICJ.
Ukraine was invaded by Russia who has killed thousands of their citizens. Ukraine is not a terrorist organisation and did not attack Russia, but South Africa supports their genocide. Hamas attacked Israeli civilians and they responded. If South Africa is lodging a case against Israel, why not against Russia?
It’s not about Ukraine needing SA. It’s about SA supporting the genocide and war crimes perpetrated by Russia. SA’s intervention was a joke, especially since it was clearly batting for Russia.
You mean the same Russia that is funding the ANC and helping undermine our democracy? This should not concern us?
Well said
Does one crime justify another crime?
I think scoring cheap political points while supporting a genocidal regime like Russia should be a crime in itself.
I am missing this engagement in the way you treat Ukraine.
Indeed! Why invite War Criminal and Anti-Democrat Vladimir Putin to SA for the BRICS conference?
Why not accuse him, who has no real case, as Ukraine has never threatened Russia, which has pledged (see Buda Pest Memorandum of 5 December 1994) to PROTECT UKRAINE’s then existing borders.
Specifically, it “prohibited the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States from threatening or using military force or economic coercion against Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan, “except in self-defence or otherwise in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.” As a result of other agreements and the memorandum, between 1993 and 1996, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Ukraine gave up their nuclear weapons.”
Budapest Memorandum
Sir, with respect to you, because I agree with. However, this is an entirely different matter, and should be treated as such. Do not deflect from the issue at hand
You mean, how the SA government is deflecting its support of Russia’s war crimes?
The Russians really screwed up , they never got included in the final documents for East Germany to join NATO , the initial agreements made by James Baker / H.W. Bush and Germany that NATO would not advance eastwards and not be on Russia’s borders . The Russians assumed it was a given. Typical communists , they did not understand in a capitalist society make sure you have it writing , verbal agreements do not count.
Regarding the historical facts: The contracting party to the 2+4 treaty was not Russia but the Soviet Union. The condition for the withdrawal of the Soviet armed forces was that no foreign NATO forces were stationed in the territory of the former GDR. Germany still adheres to this agreement, which is binding under international law, to this day. It is undisputed that the united Germany remains in NATO (otherwise the unification treaty would not have come about). At the time of German reunification (October 3, 1990), there could be no discussions about a possible eastward expansion of NATO because both the Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union continued to exist. At the time, no one knew that the Warsaw Pact would dissolve in July 1991 and the Soviet Union would dissolve a few years later.
How dare South Africa make any judgement on any other country when they do nothing about the 27000 murders and 47000 rapes every year. When politicians and government employees are murdered for their comfy position. Sanctioned genocide on our doorstep. Keep your own house clean before you poke your nose into someone else’s house – hypocrites!
I don’t think Jennifer D knows what genocide is.
I don’t believe you know either.
May not literally be genocide, but you know what I mean. By sanctioning crime, murder and rape, which in effect, is targeted at vulnerable people who are unable to pay for private security services, the ANC are liable for the deaths of these people. 27000 murders in a population of 60 million is shocking.
You are 100% correct. The anc are hypocrites. No other way to describe this.
Gerrie we were all upset on the ANC handling of issues inside the country, they have this mantle of staying in power because they appeal to the masses, they have outdone all the parties on the ICJ move give it to them, and they did appear in Ukraine but the dynamics did not allow them to take charge. As difficult as it might seem today I am proud to be a south African we are a human society
What a pity you dont quote Gayton Mckenzie’s (President of Patriotic Alliance) post addressed to the government of SA “Please lower your voice” This is how most South Africans’s feel about what our government is doing and what they just dont do for it’s own citizens. He speaks on our behalf. We should all stand up and speak out about this. Look at what is happening in our beautiful country and save our citizens!
You mean, the PA that has helped the ANC and EFF install a puppet mayor in Jhb who is helping them enrich their cronies and ruin the city? The PA is a proxy for the corrupt political regime of the ANC. If McKenzie is not busy toeing the ANC’s need to eat, he’s harassing desperate Africans at the border, promoting xenophobia, and destroying the values of ubuntu. That’s the party and person you are supporting.
The South African government should be ashamed of itself. How can South Africa be considered a respectable nation when its government openly supports the extermination of Jews.
“openly supports the extermination of Jews.” Where is the evidence. South Africa has a significant and influential Jewish community, which we, Africans, are proud to be associated with. We also cherish our Afrikaner heritage, being about the only country that has it.
This is the second time I have an immense pride in being South African. The first time occured during our 1994 election in which we declared ourselves liberated under a great Constitution.
I wish all the best to our legal team to try and stop the carnage and genocide by Israel. Well done South Africa.
I am closing my account as I can’t tolerate this biased and generally distorted dishonest reporting
Well, sure you will find a friend at News24, where I just closed my account, and subscription fees of such transferred to DM
As have I.
Dishonest ? it just lists the case against Israel , and the initial response from Israel . It is now up to both parties to prove their case. Israel only has to provide the evidence to refute the claims , if untrue will be easy.
… some people cannot handle the truth, face the facts.
Please explain where is the distortion and dishonesty. With respect: your response has a typical Zionist, rather than Jewish flavour.
We cannot escape the Jew hatred on the DM platform whether it be the writers/ opinionistas/or readers. The case for Israel is made with each comment against the Jews
Have no problems with Jews , even no problem with Israeli Jews . We cannot go back in time so they there to stay. Only they have to accept a Palestinian State and consider Palestinians as human beings , not lesser beings.
This is the second time I felt an immense pride in being South African. The first occured during our election of 1994 which liberated our country under a great Constitution. Well done and all the best to our legal team. I hope they stop the carnage and genocide of Palestinians.
Me too Fayzal. Though pride is of such a short duration
true. only lasted a few days then the ANC had to spoil it their “fire pool ” drama. Do we have another 30 years to wait for the next time.
We are all disgusted by the ANC internal behavior but when they use the correct tools in our foreign policy they get it right, the ICJ step is not an ANC policy, we don’t align with the actions of Hamas and the complain is not about genocide of Hamas even the 9 quoted statements talk about genocide of Palestinians,and the actions supporting those statements point to genocide of the Palestinians, courts don’t entertain accusations that don’t directly link to the merits or demerits of the case in hand and they have rules that guide them to facts not emotions, if we pay attention to the facts we will see that the genocide is stated 9 times and carried out inline with the statements, Jews will protect themselves if attacked in our statements but they did not say they are proud of those loose canons running the Israel state at the current moment they are far smarter than that
Kenneth has a habit, or disability, of writing exceedingly long sentences – no periods, only the odd comma thrown in.
Bill I acknowledge your concern with my sentences and odd commas, I am one of the privileged bantu education recipient please be patient but what about the facts?
Hypocrisy at the highest level.
This is the second time I have an immense pride in being South African. The first time occured during our 1994 election in which we declared ourselves liberated under a great Constitution. I wish all the best to our legal team to try and stop the carnage and genocide by Israel. Well done South Africa.
Reply
The ANC’s electioneering is clearly effective.
But SA can supply arms to Russia and that’s OK – how hypocritical
Also supplied arms to Saudis to bomb the Huthies (close allies of Hamas)!!
Could that be another reason that the Houthi’s are targeting Israel .Due to the Saudi /Israel back channel intelligence sharing and military assistance.
I cannot read this crap anymore. I am embarrassed to call myself a South African.
Is there anything that the ANC cannot ph……k up?
No.
Our ANC government has no moral high ground as the right to life is not held high, not with more than 50 murders a day here in South Africa.
I would suggest that South Africa keeps its nose in its own business and rather allocate the funds to the SAPS to be spent on equipment they desperately need.
Sort out you own back yard before poking your nose over the fence at a neighbour.
74 murders per day to be precise
Agree very much. With our track record of excessive daily violence the government really is a disgrace to try haul Israel over the coals. The ANC was silent while its direct neighbour Mugabe and Zanu-PF destroyed Zimbabwe with its crazy policies and violence to innocent citizens. Now they have some highly biased legal experts telling them what to do, because these lawyers probably harbour traditional ill feelings towards Israel. I wonder, what is the hold over the government that it is anti-Israel? I am so NOT proud of South Africa’s stance.
Another point, quoting a line in the article “which have created an open-air prison for its people’ – if it is a prison, why do the Palestinians refuse to live anywhere else, and why do the other countries around it who share the same religion refuse to have the Palestinians live in their countries??
The killing of anyone is abhorrent no matter the justification but why is Haffajee climbing into this one? It is purely because she has an ideological drum to bang on? No one of the woke so called left says anything about the atrocities in China committed against the Muslims or the Taliban Misogynists’ ghastly treatment of 50% of their population. Where is Haffajee’s distress at the suffering of millions in Ukraine and the needless deaths of hundreds of thousands of young Russian men? The destruction in Ukraine makes the Gaza problem look minor in terms of scale. The list of atrocious inhumanity around the world is legion but to name them would obscure the message of this comment.
Haffajee is like Iger and the rest of his ilk. They have an agenda and will only raise issues that meet their narrow woke fascist cause. For those who wonder how a lefty can be fascist, look up the definition of fascism and realise these people are not lefty’s. Woke’s are hell bent on bending the knee of main stream mankind to their unnatural world view.
What Haffajee should have written about is why did Hamas start this war when a loony nationalist and a probable criminal was in charge of Israel. They got exactly the response they wanted from his government. Shame on on you Haffajee and all your woke weird pronoun buddies.
Well said.
Reading your post I am wondering whether we read the same article. The author is reporting on an issue and is stating facts and an order of events to follow. I see no reason to launch a personal attack on the author. Play the ball, not the man (or woman in this case).
Agree
Hear Hear!!!
This case has little merit. Read Ivor Vegter’s opinion piece at Daily Friend to understand why.
It’s an excellent no-nonsense piece!
It’s not Ben and you know it perhaps it’s not beating the drums of Israel according to your tune
A more detailed analysis from the Israeli perspective you can find at TOI.
Casting stones in a glasshouse? Ramaphosa should be more concerned about what is happening in his own country before casting aspersions elsewhere
Just wondering why this accusation was never levelled against Russia?
Maybe the South African government should spend less time worrying about the actions of other countries and more time sorting out the problems in its own backyard.
SA blatantly antisemitic against Israel. Those who curse Israel will be cursed and those that bless Israel will be blessed.
t
As you say it is a very low bar if the court goes along with it since an order to comply with the Genocide, without a declaration that it had been contravened, is like “have you stopped beating your wife ” where No means he won’t stop, but yes admits he had been beating her. In the face of such order Israel would no doubt say it was gratuitous, since it denied having contravened it.
The quotes from the ministers of Israel’s government are indeed blood curdling.
This Israel government is not going to be around for too long after the war. I can give you many multiples of blood curdling quotes from Palestinian spokespeople since 1948 which are equally selective. The case is about international law and not pronouncements from politicians.
Yes – sadly.
While ice cold indeed, please read the Hamas Charter.
Presumably South African taxpayers are paying for this charade. Can you imagine the cost of all these advocates, consultants, observers and whatever all flying business class over to The Hague. I hope they all return with their tails between their legs, an embarrassment to the world. I am appalled that South Africa would openly support and condone the barbaric acts of the animals who call themselves Hamas. Shame on DM for publishing this article.
Of course SA taxpayers will be paying for this junket, as it has been for all the others.
The cost will be enormous – not only business-class flight tickets, but the cost for 5-star hotels, lavish meals at only the very best restaurants, etc.
As a taxpayer, the ANC’s repeated (and expensive) efforts to gain credibility and global visibility are at variance with the reality that SA is geopolitically irrelevant, and hurtling toward failed-state status.
It’s only a matter of time….
Mr. No name, AgfAgf. Ms. Ferial Haffajee is one of the highest rated journalists in this country. This insult of yours is unacceptable by any standard. Why don’t you go and join the queue at News24, where you can participate in insults gladly published by that medium
What a strange article. It is as if DM (and the author) is hesitant to express a view. Even as a piece on just facts, it reads weirdly. Just quotes absent of contextual commentary. Maybe it’s just me.
They trying to be unbiased . and will never please either side of the argument.
This is excellent reporting so far as I’m concerned. It simply lays out the 2 opposing arguments
Agreed.
Shoo there are so many facets to this situation that arguments for and against are so intertwined and intermingled.
What is a given is that:
The Hamas attacks on innocent people is disgusting and despicable.
The Israeli attacks on innocent people is disgusting and despicable.
Both should be stopped this very moment.
The question we should be asking is whether the time and effort and more importantly the financial cost of going to the ICJ should be a priority of this government? Shouldn’t we rather focus on feeding the starving, providing security for the vulnerable and ensuring that we provide essential services like electricity?
Rather encourage some wealthier nations to take the fight to the ICJ.
And if we really, really need to go to court for the good of our country, then why don’t we refer to a 4 volume report compiled by a certain Judge Zondo?
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Well said!
Easy answer, really. The wealthy nations are the ones supplying Israel with weapons, making money from it. Secondly, the wealthy nations have strong Jewish constituents, that will punish any politician that goes against any Jewish interest, effectively ending the carreer of that politician (the margins are paper thin!).
Personally I would not like to take sides or really comment on this matter, apart from just one request: Stop the killing. I don’t really care who has done what or any other side-show. Just one thing: stop the killing.
There’s the conspiracy theorist among us. Been reading Mein Kampf perhaps?
Yes, we are indeed an influential and powerful people despite our numbers. We also contribute disproportionately to almost every facet of civilization. I see you lack Judeophilia.
You have highlighted an important fact, law abiding sovereign countries like Israel can and will answer to any de facto allegations, however how do you intend to get Hamas to answer to anything?
As individuals, the Jewish representatives mentioned, have freedom of speech/expression. Which individual utterances does not mean that those statements are state policy or objective. Tragically war it seems is the only way to stand down false claims and violent acts of aggression the Israeli state has endured since 1919 and certainly since 1948, culminating in the barbarous assault on the 7th October. Israels right to the territory is recognised a.w.a is right to self-defence.
There was no Israeli state until 1948
There was no Palestinian state. There was a Jewish state long before Islam existed though.
Jewish state? Palestinian state?
We were exiled out of “Israel” centuries ago and our people scattered all over Europe. Britain and the US did a deal during WW2 to give the zionists back the “Promised Land”. Unfortunately they didn’t take into account that the land was not vacant and had been occupied for generations by others who were then systematically removed from their homes. There will be no peace until this wrong is righted.
Are you saying there were no Jews in the area …. of course they were
The conflation of anti Zionism with anti Semitism is both wrong and tragic.
The scale, methods, intent and the results of the IDF destruction of Gaza is tragic. Its intent and intensity is beyond what we have seen in our generation. The USA and other western countries have Palestinian blood dripping from their hands.
Personally, I am proud to associate with the South Africa’s courageous attempt at the ICJ to stop the killings and the war that clearly have genocidal intent. Lord, in your mercy …
What is your problem with a Jewish homeland aka Jewish Palestine aka Israel?
99% of world Jewry are Zionists. Zionism is fundamental to Jewish identity. If you were one of us you would understand this. Zionism and Judaism are inextricably linked.
If the case goes against Israel ,does that mean 99 % of the Jews and Judaism takes ownership .
99% of world Jewry are Zionists. Zionism is fundamental to Jewish identity. If you were one of us you would understand this. Zionism and Judaism are inextricably linked.
I find it hard to understand the fact that the ANC has targeted Isreal in this manner. But the war in Ukraine were Russia wants to destroy and assimilate the proud Ukrainian people back into Russia. Kidnapped children, targets civilian infrastructure every night, rape torture of civilians and of course the mass Graves of the executed. Then there are the African genocidal wars. Silence deathly silence from the ANC, …..How can you support an organization that uses humans as shields and went on an orgy of killing and raping.
Not to sound insensitive to the catastrophic events happening in Gaza, but the SA government should be focusing on our own internal issues. The latest crime stats show that we have 75 murders a day (27,375 annually) in South Africa with an increase in farm murders between year on year. Not to mention the myriad of issues we face in the public and energy sectors. I get the optics of international peacekeeping mediation, but we have dire consequences to our economic growth and the safety of our own people right here in our own soil.
A lost cause?
Absolutely disgusting that the ANC didn’t utter a single word of condemnation about the brutal and barbaric Hamas attack. Instead they virtually approved it with our esteemed leader appearing in Palestinian garb the very next day. What is Israel supposed to do in response? Nothing?? Does Hamas callously use civilians as human shield?? Yes or no? (Silence) Add to this the blatant hypocrisy of the silence of the ANC while their chum Putin is waging an illegal war and raining ballistic and cruise missiles on civilian areas. But that’s not genocide that’s OK…Someone from the ANC needs to go on the Piers Morgan to defend their blatantly one sided stance on Israel and see how far they get. Disgusting hypocrisy not rooted in fact.
By siding with Hamas, South Africa’s genocide accusation against Israel has placed further strain on an already frayed relationship with the USA and could have serious diplomatic ramifications. Before South Africa’s application to the ICJ, South Africa’s flirtation with Moscow risked billions of dollars in US exports. By taking Israel to the ICJ, could be the coup de gras in economic trade with the US. South Africa stands to lose its preferential trading status with the US, by fraternising with terror groups and countries hostile to US policy like Hamas, Russia and Iran. Had South Africa intended to mitigate “genocide” in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, they have not acted in good faith previously when requested to do so. South Africa would have arrested the President of Sudan Omar al-Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity. As a signatory to the International Criminal Court’s Rome Statute – South Africa was obligated to follow ICC requests. As many as 300,000 people have died in the Darfur conflict and 2 million have been displaced. South Africa failed to arrest President Omar al-Bashir while he was in South Africa and he flew out in defiance of a court order.
Israel can also challenge South Africa’s impartiality in this matter. South Africa’s foreign minister Naledi Pandod was criticised for holding a phone call with the leader of Hamas- Ismail Haniyeh just 10 days after Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israel. This action alone could be seen as an act of pro-bono support for Hamas.
Should this action succeed in the ICJ it sets a dangerous precedent that all terrorist groups can act with impunity and get away with mass murder
Ferial hasn’t changed her hatred since her days at the M&G. But one needs ask why she has remained silent to the hundreds of thousands of deaths on her own continent – just three recent reports from the newspaper she now writes for – well we know – black lives don’t matter to her!
“A test for the international community: Can another genocide be stopped in Darfur (21 Nov.)”
“Three million kids have been forced to flee their homes, the largest displaced population of children in the world. (9Nov)”
“Darfur refugee report new spate of ethnically driven killings. (8 Nov)”
Good point
So it IS genocide, but it is preventative genocide?
Hamas are saying they want to kill all Jews, so to prevent that Israel will kill all Palestinians first?
Wish I could see an end to this…
No, just Hamas. If Israel wanted to kill all the Palestinians they would have bombed Gaza silly in a week and been done with it.
They have bombed Gaza silly in 3 months the impact is the same won’t you say?
No. Israel is capable of levelling Gaza in 24 hours. This could have happened on Oct8 – Do you know what happened on Oct7?
This action of the ANC regime is laughable. I wonder who has set them up to this (definitely not their own ‘moral’ high ground as they have none) and eventually the money trail will reveal the truth, but then we will never see it. Am I being negative? No, just look how this government is treating it’s own people. Money is the only god they know. Now they want to convince us they care about lives lost and the poor and the downtrodden? What a joke.
Money, and POWER, at all and any cost.
Considering their dismal governance and a looming election, this does feel like a cynical attempt by the ANC to score political points. What is happening in Israel is appalling, but so too is what is happening in Afghanistan, Ukraine, Myanmar and Western China, to name a handful of human rights abuses. Where is the government outrage on those regimes?
South Africa shielded a genocidal leader of Sudan, and through Brics, is openly aligned with Russia and Iran.
SA are not honest brokers in this situation.
I want to make the distinction between the ruling party and South Africa. This case was brought by the ruling party to repay historic debt. Not the South African population in totality. The ANC has struggled most of the time to distinguish between party, state and the country.
While waiting for the court date to arrive, the same ruling party rolled put the red carpet for the butcher of Sudan. Just like before with Al-Bashir, his right hand man was received like and old friend. Although both have participated in the murder of thousands of black Africans – some 150,000 since April 2023.
What two faces this government seems to be.
Guilty by title is it? Why write the article (or read it for that matter) when you’ve already found Israel guilty??
It is remarkable that SA “WILL NEVER” pick sides, and will ALWAYS look to a negotiated settlement for peace with regards to the Russia / Ukraine conflict, however, when it comes to Israel / Palestine SA has clearly picked a side.
Such a joke.
The ANC and the government of South Africa does not speak for me. They do not represent me.
Looking at all the responses above it strikes me that in most comments the readers seem to equate Russia’s disgusting invasion of Ukraine (and the massacres – remember Bucha!) with Israel’s disgusting wanton destruction of Gaza and the ongoing massacres of civilians!
Their only point is to criticise South Africa because they did not also take Russia to the ICJ…
So – most commentators agree that Israel is probably engaging in genocide!
Well said
Thabo Mbeki tried. It did not work. Israel will not listen to anyone. Not even the USA.
South Africa has demonstrated a rare courage in international affairs – standing up against the most powerful and influential political block in the world and so, risks being ostracized by it. It is the same courage and resilience that South Africans and progressive peoples of the world took against Apartheid and brought it to an end. We wish South African a resounding victory and victory must come for the sake of preserving humanity.
Well said
Very much a one- sided article as one would expect from Ferial on these issues.
I have read the article several times and realize that Ferial Haffajee is quoting the published arguments of the South African government and is not expressing her personal opinion. In a parallel article, Peter Fabricius speculates about the Israeli government’s possible, as yet unpublished, counterarguments without offering his own opinion on the subject. Overall, professional editorial work on DM’s part.
I agree, well said.
The bias appears to be in the eye of the reader rather than the mind of the author
Depends on who writes the history
This is one of the most admirable actions of the SA government in a long time. If the case is successful it will be to the benefit of humanity.
I concur. They did the right thing.
South Africa needs also to answer why they did not arrest Omar al Bashir and allowed him to leave Sa soil .
Whatever the verdict of the International Court of Justice, it will not be worth the paper it is printed on. Supranational jurisdiction is only relevant if, like the European Court of Justice, it is an institution of a community of values. UN-related courts do not adequately meet this requirement. They are sometimes misused for political propaganda purposes, as the South African government is currently proving by making its written statement public.
I want to make the distinction between the ruling party and South Africa. This case was brought by the ruling party to repay historic debt. Not the South African population in totality. The ANC has struggled most of the time to distinguish between party, state and the country.
While waiting for the court date to arrive, the same ruling party rolled put the red carpet for the butcher of Sudan. Just like before with Al-Bashir, his right hand man was received like and old friend. Although both have participated in the murder of thousands of black Africans – some 150,000 since April 2023.
What two faces this government seems to be.
It is actually 330,000 and 7.3 million displaced and moved to other countries. No other Moslem country will accept Palestinians.
Look what happened when Jordan did that experiment.
Jordan would not have had that problem , if Israel lived up to the Refugee Convention and allowed displaced Palestinians to return home after being driven out of their land by IDF.
let me quote the ultimate authority on life and death… which includes this spectacle
“Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.” Matt29:52 – …. it cuts both ways, does’nt it?
The same SA led by a party that unprompted will use the words “Zionist” in perjorative.
Restraint in war is stupid. The ANC is a stalwart ally of Hamas and Palestine and so wishes to force restraint on Israel so as to give Hamas an advantage in their chosen war. This piece of theatre in front of the ICJ will resolve nothing beyond the ANC fulfilling its obligation to an ally, it certainly will not have any effect on Israel’s commitment to her continued existence.
As simple as that Craig.
It really is Geoff.
Spot on
I tried to quote authority on the futility of using the sword – as he who uses it will eventually succumb by it – but obviously from an unacceptable source, maybe I should have referred to Arabic, instead of Hebrew or Greek sources…. even Mandarin does not seem to be the flavour of the day… show me a humane war 🙂
What is the reason for the SA Government to do a thing like this? It’s beyond my comprehension. It seems that they are eager to have a big voice when it comes to international affairs and very little voice on the homefront. There is a complete lack of moral honesty and objectivity in what they are doing. It is shortsighted and shows a lack of historical knowledge. When you have been persecuted for several hundred years, at a certain point you have had enough and strike. Moreover, the Palestinians started the havoc in a way that makes the Huns look like innocent children in comparison.
The Palestinians did not start this, if we are referring to October 7 then Hamas started this. A very important distinction.
Your comparison to the Huns shows that you did not pay attention in your history classes.
It is true that this war seems genocidal, but South Africa might have been more even-handed and charged Hamas at the same time, since their stated intention is genocidal, or am I mistaken?
You are not mistaken. The HAMAS/ANC alliance is strong. How do you get Hamas to stand at the ICJ?
only states can be brought up at ICJ . Hamas is ICC .
Just to show balance, let SA also take Russia to the Hague. That’s not going to happen.
.
22000 dead according to Gazan sources… so divide that total by 5 to get the actual… I take anything that Hamas and their allies say with a LARGE pinch of salt. South Africa is on dangerous ground here.
The real numbers of reported deaths is spurious given the Hamas source. This is a simple smear campaign
Its time SA and the world wakes up to the fact that there is no such thing as an innocent palestinian! Not one palestinian stood up and condemned the barbaric savagery of the 7th October massacre by Hamas and joyously celebrated in their thousands the parading of naked Israeli women through the streets of Gaza who are now still being kept captive by Hamas. More than 90% of Gazans support Hamas and have kept voting them into power since 2007. They also knowingly allowed the terrorist group to use hospitals, schools, mosques and buildings as tunnel entrances. So where are the innocent palestinians? Nowhere! Because there aren’t any! They are all guilty of what happened on the 7th October and whilst Israel has tried its best to prevent the unnecessary deaths of civilians in Gaza, its impossible when they’re being used as human shields by their so-called protectors, Hamas, who’re also integrating themselves into the civilian population to avoid being targeted by the IDF making them difficult to identify from a so-called ‘innocent palestinian’ civilian. Hamas, a known terrorist group, and responsible for stealing food and money meant to help Gazans, must be destroyed once and for all or a 7th October slaughter will happen again and again as their leaders have said would. However had the civilians of Gaza helped the IDF in this regard, to root out the terrorists, then maybe peace would’ve been possible. But whilst Hamas lives in Gaza, with the ideology it has towards Israel and the Jews, that will never happen.
Errol you are just repeating Netanyahu propaganda much of which has not stood up to scrutiny. Furthermore there has in fact not been an election in Gaza since 2007 and please tell us where your figure of more than 90% of Gazans support Hamas comes from. How would you suggest that Palestinian civilians “help the IDF” to “root out the terrorists”?
You mean like the PA security force , under the command of a US General ( security Coordinator ) in the West Bank , whose main mission is to protect the Israeli settlers and IDF not their Palestinian citizens, sounds like the Vichy French Troops during WW2 who protected the Germans troops from the French partisans .
Gonna be a hard sell after supporting Bashir, also why did our stuff not mention the October 7 massacre at all. Also we seem to be quite quiet about all the massacres going on in North Africa or perpetuated on the people of yemen or jordan, nor the 1m afghans being deported from Pakistan.
A much bigger picture is involved in the South African case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
I am not judging the South African appeal to the International Court of Justice, nor Israel’s defense of these charges.
My concern, and what should be all South Africans concern, is the potential impact on the South African economy, and, as the Founder of SmallBusinessProsperity.com, especially on small businesses’ survival in an era of potential boycotts and sanctions against South Africa by the USA and its Allies.
From a geopolitical perspective, RSA is a minor global player with 0.4% of global GDP. The enlarged BRICS countries have 46.5% of the worldwide population and control around 33% of the global economy. South Africa’s GDP is 1.2% of the total BRICS GDP.
South Africa is expendable and an ideal pawn to use by now enlarged BRICS, which happens to have the USA’s most significant adversaries in Russia, China and Iran.
BRICS intends to wrestle economic and political Superpower status from the USA or at least create another Superpower bloc.
The USA’s Ally in the Middle East is Israel.
BRICS is using its South African pawn to demonize Israel and draw the USA into that demonic web. The battle is against Israel, but the war is against the USA and its supporting Western Allies.
Russia’s war in Ukraine is being supported economically and militarily by China, Iran, North Korea, and certain other countries.
China is making increasing threats against Taiwan. North Korea is currently threatening South Korea with test missile launches.
Iran holds the Middle East’s future in its hands through its surrogates, but besides Israel, its other target is Saudi Arabia, an American-protected country.
A demonized USA suits many of these BRICS countries’ agendas.
America can’t fight and or support wars in the Middle East, South China Sea, South Korea, with NATO in Ukraine and possibly other ex-USSR countries that Putin wants to claim back.
Ukraine and Israel have partially depleted the USA’s military stockpiles. The USA has six major military suppliers; some need to retool for weapons for today’s wars. This can take until the second half of 2025/26.
Using expendable South Africa as a cannon fodder pawn in this undeclared war, ultimately against the USA and its Allies, the other BRICS countries have nothing to lose and virtually everything to gain. Russia, Iran, China, and North Korea are all already fighting boycotts and sanctions against them from the USA and its Allies.
Could South Africa be next for boycotts and sanctions by the USA and its Allies.? These discussions have been voiced in the UK parliament and the US Congress.
One other important factor of the current timing of South Africa’s international legal action is that the BRICS countries smell ‘blood in the water’ of an increasingly Disunited States of America heading towards Presidential, Senate and partial Congress Elections in November 2024.
Another factor to consider is that there are strong rumours, currently unsubstantiated, that the ANC’s financial woes of a judgement against it for R150 million, a massive injection into their election campaign war chest, all their legal costs at the International Court of Justice, and other funding has been provided by certain of its BRICS partners. They are “teeing” South Africa up as the sacrificial lamb to the slaughter.
The risk for all South Africans of the ANC choosing their current stance is the possibility of boycotts and sanctions from the USA and certain of its Western Allies, which comprise the bulk of its trading partners, investors, lenders, and financiers.
Should these boycotts and sanctions occur, then if you think interest rates are high now, hold onto your hats as the economy could take major blows and slump, unemployment rise further, inflation soars, social unrest erupts, massive cash outflows and limited loans and investments are made locally and from foreigners, and the Rand collapses.
I used the above term- pawn- because the ANC’s current international legal action in the International Court of Justice could end up demonizing the USA, resulting in the stated boycotts and sanctions, which could end up sacrificing the future of all South Africans.
Small businesses are the backbone of the South African economy. South Africa has 2.6 million micro, small, and medium enterprises; 37% or 962 000 are formal businesses.
According to McKinsey (2020), they employ between 50-60% of the country’s workforce and are responsible for 25% of job growth in the private sector.
Should the above possible scenario of boycotts and sanctions on South Africa be eventuated by America and its Allies, then the consequences on many small businesses, their employees and their creditors will be disastrous. The ripple effect will be felt throughout the economy and in most homes in South Africa.
Future-proofing certain small businesses is essential in a very low-growth economy, or a possible slumping economy should the abovementioned boycotts and sanctions materialise.
As Helen Keller said, “Worse than having no sight is having no vision”.
– SmallBusinessProsperity.com
I agree on we are going to pay a price. But disagree on BRICS pawn. Whether SA win or lose this will become case law , and the BRICS nations have skeletons in their closet that this case could have a impact on them eg Iran (Kurdish , Balochi Pop) . Saudi ( Shia minority Pop) . Russia ( Chechnya) . Brazil ( Amazon Indigenous pop) . China (Uighur pop) . India ( Sikhs , Kashmir and a few other Indian states)
and where is the outcry for the 100 or so hostages that Hamas still hold? Wrongs on both sides here, but lets not forget there was peace and a ceasefire until October 7th, and it wasn’t the Israelis who broke it by attacking young people enjoying a music festival. Lets have some balance here.
There was peace until October 7? Peace whilst radical Israeli settlers invaded Palestinian land, often at gun point or with the assistance of the IDF. Peace while the citizens of Gaza were kept in an open air prison, behind huge walls, with limited access to the things you take for granted? No, there was no peace, only a simmering kettle waiting to boil.
Long overdue.
Why only Israel? Hamas is preaching and doing the exact same thing. The violence committed by both parties in my view are horrendous. What, in my view at least, is beyond defense, is the cowardice of building your defense, using innocent people as human shields. It seems as if this atrocity has escaped the world. I have no respect for either party, but less so for those cowards.
The real cowards are the Israeli regime (particularly Netanyahu and co) who for his selfish reason to stay out of an Israeli jail, who would send in misguided and delusional soldiers (like they did in apartheid SA) into a ‘war’ … to get killed for one man’s delusions and ambitions! Talk about human shields ! In an earlier post I said to the families of the current ‘hostages’ (excluding the thousands in Israeli jails for many decades !) … trust Netanyhu to bring the hostages home … because he says so … even if they all come back in body bags ! But you can be sure he (Netanyahu) will not be in one of those bags. Such bravery !
The ANC is friend to all the world’s polecats, including the regimes in Russia, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela and Zimbabwe. Little wonder it’s cheering on those with real genocidal intent: the rapists and murderers of Hamas and Hezbollah.
Just a thought, who would be fitting the bill for the application to the ICJ?
I realize that lives are more valuable than money, but I also know that South Africa does not have the budget for this. Why haven’t the many countries in the Middle East that have huge budgets not make the application instead, or better still, a joint application? My thinking would be that there’s an election looming in S.A.
A bunch of criminals supporting a bunch of terrorists.
Please can I have my tax back now so I can donate it to a local school!
I am afraid you are correct
The pessismist in me fears that this will be a situation of too little too late. The damage has already been done, Gaza is nearly uninhabitable and given the current Israeli government it is extremely unlikely that they will seek a political solution to this crisis that will meaningfully prevent such future atrocities from occurring: namely, the end of the occupation of the West Bank and the creation of a bi-national state with full and equal rights to everyone from the river to the sea.
At the very least, South Africa’s brief will serve as a useful compilation of numerous facts that can educate the world about the situation in Gaza and the context for this current round of violence.
The Israel Government was elected democratically…..not so Gaza where there hasn’tbeen elections for 17 years.
Israel and US prevented the 2021 Palestinian elections.
Really? Source?
And so was the last US election … BUT guess what … several million Trumpers (and even members of congress and senate) still say and believe it was ‘stolen’ ! Oie vie … !!!
All Gold … or do you prefer Koo ?
Israel is surrounded by many countries who would like to see all the Jews of Israel be driven into the sea. Threats like that have been made by organizations like Hezbollah and Hamas and some countries surrounding Israel. So one should not be surprised by the heavy handedness of Israel
Not true , the issue with Syria return Golan Heights then peace. Lebanon ( Hezbollah ) return Sheba Farms and other occupied territory then peace. Iran is 2 countries away and that is more personal for Israeli intelligence training and supporting the Shah’s secret police and military. Israel return to pre 67 borders and peace with all the countries that they do not peace treaties or normalisation agreements
Golan Heights was occupied by Israel for strategic reasons, good reasons
I will give you that. but then could understand military bases and a fortified border. but why repossess land for Jewish settlers and encourage and incentivise settlers to relocate to the Golan.
It is still however illegally occupied no matter the “good reasons”
We need to understand … that according to some anything Israel does is always “good” … not sure of the divine source for it … but even the continued expansion of settlements across and on ‘occupied territory’ as Obama called it … has to be ‘good’ … as it has been divinely ordained ! End of discussion. The Palestinians must just accept their role as hewers of wood and drawers of water, as we did here under apartheid. Palestinians will just have to wait for the second coming of Madiba, the greatest terrorist the world has seen .
Until someone occupies south Africa for their good strategic reason then you will understand the violation
Funny that individuals arent allowed to take law unto thier hands but contuires can. Who gives countries a right to bomb other nations, even if, there is a wrong doing. Are we not pepetrating a Mob justice states that one can decide to just go into a country and bomb citizes without following any due dillegnce by a formal court or agent that will allow that. This means I can wake up in the morning and decide to Bomb Botswana and kill all citizens bcoz a group of people from Swaziland decided to come and kill 100 people in South African, place a video on socials then run back to Sawziland. What gaurantees state security if you dont have the muscle to fight. Is this how to resolve world issues, just take a gun and go kill my neigbhour beacsue his son has raped and kill my poeple. Did my neighobor authorise the act of his son, what if it wasnt not even his son or a visitor amd frame all the act. Even if its proven to be hamas – what did the people of Palestine do, also, are there no measures for countries to start to think and consult, advised and plan before they decide to Bom other soverignity states. is this the world we live in…Crazy
Were Hamas voted in to rule Gaza by threat to the Palestinians of Gaza? Why would the Palestinians vote voluntarily for a terrorist regime?
I really dont understand why we as a country want to intervene in such a big unchanging matter as we speak the killing is pilling,the ICJ is gonna listen to who South Africa lol we want to speak out if it suets us ,we must be carefull misiles can be redirected .
Denzil Israel might be acting like they own the world, when the ruling says yes genocide no one not even the European allies will want to associate with that label, this is significant if you don’t believe look how it engages us, we are just ordinary people with no diplomatic and economic relations to salvage, a state is something else genocide is a big stigma no one will want to touch you even with a pole
The difference with Russia’s war in Ukraine is that Russia took utmost care to minimize civilian casualties and Putin refused to storm Kiev at the beginning of the war exactly for that reason. Furthermore, Putin calls Ukrainians our brother nation who are duped by US propaganda and hopes for future reconciliation. That is in sharp contrast with Israel who specifically targets civilians, hospitals schools mosques, ambulances! Furthermore, Putin started the war as the last resort when all peaceful means failed. What a sharp contrast!
This has sparked off more comments that any article Iv seen on DM .
Generally people are taking sides . While SA has its huge faults and is hypocritical in seeming to take Putins side , and allowing war criminals into our country, I think it’s action taking Israel to the international court is essential in this interest of World peace, we have a situation where both Hamas and Israel wants to wipe each other’s civilian population of the earth, both claiming to be right in their blood soaked endeavours. Dividing people both in the Middle East and around the world. Please let’s breathe and remember that we are one human race, busy destroying our planet on a scale that makes these differences irrelevant. And be aware that the current aggression and agendas and ultimately FEAR , [the biggest evil in the world. ]Has become an existential threat to humanity and a very real possibility of a 3rd world war. Let peace and understanding and sanity prevail . Let the light shine in this long dark night. Amen
Amen!
Well said indeed
Well they want to stop Genocide in Israel but it turns a blind eye to the Genocide within its own Borders. A joke
It’s a terrible indictment when ordinary South Africans agree with one of our government’s legal actions.
SA Government doing HAMAS’s work. Are the South Africans suggesting the suspension of arms and funds to HAMAS ?
Dominic if my memory serves me right Israel did a lot of Hamas funding for a purpose that suited them but Hamas has turned against them that is why they are so furious, the money was sent in suitcases via Egypt.
Truth, as ever, the first casualty of war.
Israel has been surrounded and beleaguered by determined and unflinching animosity since its inception. Since said inception, it has had to protect itself against against violence from all sides. It has proven to be remarkably adept at defending itself and inflicting damage, often severe, on its attackers.
This history is known to all, and hated by some. The facts, however, remain.
When the leaders of Hamas embarked on this course of action these facts were known to them.
What did they think was going to happen?
If you are a cynic of a grade that I have not quite reached, you think they did this to court world opinion.
” They’ll do what they always do and then the world will suddenly understand/ love us ?”
Sacrificing more than 30 000 Palestinians ( on their count ) is not the way to go about it.
Maybe the world should turn its attention to finding and arresting the Hamas perpetrators of this atrocity.
And bring them to face justice in an international court of law – for crimes against humanity.
South Africa, with its delusions of moral superiority, may not be an active participant in this endeavour.
Which would not be a great loss.
Israeli tactics is simply adopted from Nazis, Nazis destroyed towns and villages from which anti-Nazi resistance operated. Hamas operates from Gaza, so Israel wants to destroy Gaza, and Israel threatens to destroy Beirut just as they are destroying Gaza if Hezbollah attacks. Exactly the Nazi tactics, does that amount to genocide.
Furthermore, Hamas initial Oct 7 operation had the main goal of seizing hostages to subsequently exchange them for Palestinians kidnapped by Israel and imprisoned. Why nobody condemned Israel for mass arrests and imprisonment for any reasons of thousands of Palestinians among them minors for any reason? The only recourse Palestinians had was exactly what Hamas did on Oct 7
The Israeli regime response is exactly the same as the ex-apartheid regime did here. Demonise the victims and pretend you are the victim … while you systematically dehumanised entire groups of people for decades, pretending you were operating from a ‘legal’ or ethical basis …. dismissing or ignoring the fact that it was from an apartheid base. The repeated use of the term “rape ” in their statement is an indication of their desperation to find something that might ‘stick’ … and is no different from the repeated use of the term ‘terrorist’ with every sentence or phrase. Naturally there are ‘minds’ that are so desperate for ‘meaning’ that they would fall for this cheap Trumpian trick. Repeat a lie often enough … and some people will believe it .. like the ‘stolen election’ mantra. The attempt to smear SA with accusations of being genocide endorsers, is a ruse to deflect from the fact that the Germans (another ‘white’ and civilised people) were the ones who carried it out. I think psychologists might refer to it as ‘displacement’ or ‘transference’ syndrome’ or phenomenon. Anything but the ugly truth ! I am sure during our struggle against our own apartheid state, it and its supporters, branded the likes of Bizos, Beyers Naude etc as ‘nigger lovers’ or some other delightful expressions. I am sure the current Israeli regime are going to be even more generous in their insults of our SA counterparts at the ICJ for having the gall (or is it balls?) to bring the hitherto untouchable and above the law, Israeli regime to task … and hence by implication the uber arrogant US also ! Salute the SA team at the ICJ for a task superbly done. You can hold your heads high, because the ‘outcome’ is almost irrelevant. As long as you did the ‘right’ thing .. and would have made Madiba proud.