Pretoria has called for enforcement of ICJ rulings
The South African government and Doctors Without Borders (MSF) both issued urgent calls on Wednesday for international intervention after a United Nations commission found Israel responsible for acts of genocide in Gaza.
“The Government of the Republic of South Africa takes solemn account of the findings of the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel,” said the spokesperson for the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) Minister, Chrispin Phiri.
The UN report found that Israeli authorities and security forces had committed four genocidal acts defined under the 1948 Genocide Convention, including killings, serious bodily harm, and conditions designed to bring about the destruction of Palestinians in Gaza.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) condemned the atrocity, accusing world powers of being complicit. In a statement, the organisation said: “High-intensity weapons designed for open battlefields – some sold to Israel by the US and European governments - are being used in densely populated urban areas, where people are sheltering in tents. We are treating devastating injuries as a result.”
MSF added that more than 1,500 health workers had been killed, with 12 of its staff among the dead and one senior surgeon still detained by Israel. “Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and doing so with absolute impunity,” the group said.
Phiri reiterated that South Africa had taken the matter to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2023. “This report stands as a stark confirmation of the very dire situation that compelled South Africa to approach the International Court of Justice.”
South Africa has since submitted three dossiers of evidence to the UN Security Council, calling for enforcement of ICJ rulings.
”It is increasingly clear that Palestinian people are facing a threat of erasure in real time, the entire system of international law is on the line. At stake is not merely the fate of the Palestinian people, but the very principle of justice over impunity,” he added.
