The BRICS member accuses Israel of having committed multiple atrocities
South Africa says it plans to file a memorial document with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) next month to provide evidence that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in its conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office announced the move on Tuesday, vowing that a lawsuit it initiated against the Israeli government late last year will continue until the top court issues its ruling.
Africa’s most advanced economy filed a case with The Hague-based ICJ back in December, alleging that Israel’s offensive in Gaza following a surprise attack by Hamas on the Jewish state more than 11 months ago is “genocidal in character.” Israel declared war on Hamas following a series of raids by the Gaza-based militant group last October 7, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 Israelis. Since then, Israeli military operations have resulted in nearly 41,000 Palestinian deaths and 95,000 injuries according to the local health ministry, turning much of Gaza into rubble and rendering it uninhabitable.
READ MORE: Israel wants US help with Gaza genocide case – Axios
South Africa, a longtime supporter of Palestinian independence, has accused West Jerusalem of attempting to wipe out a significant portion of the Palestinian population.
In May, the top UN court ordered Israel to halt its offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah after initially directing it to take all measures to prevent any acts that could be deemed war crimes. The hostilities, however, have persisted.
Several countries, including Nicaragua, Palestine, Türkiye, Spain, Mexico, Libya, and Colombia, have all moved to join the case against the Israeli government. The ICJ has set an October 28 deadline for South Africa to present arguments for continuing the case.
“While the case is in progress, we hope that Israel will abide by the court’s provisional orders issued to date,” Pretoria said in a statement on Tuesday.
The statement comes amid reports that West Jerusalem has begun lobbying the US Congress to put pressure on South Africa’s new multi-party government to drop the ICJ suit.
According to a memo cited by Axios on Monday, Israeli diplomats have been told to push for bills targeting the African nation on state and federal levels, so “that even if they won’t materialize, presenting them and talking about them will be important.” The Israeli diplomats will also try to convince Pretoria that it has a chance to pursue dialogue with Israel “instead of boycotts and punishments,” the outlet reported.
https://www.rt.com/africa/603840-south-africa-israel-genocide-case-evidence-icj/
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) warns the enemies that any act of aggression against the Islamic Republic will not go unanswered.
In a statement on Thursday, the IRGC issued a “stern warning” to the enemies after US forces launched strikes against the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.
Following the US military attack on a point on the outskirts of Bandar Abbas Airport with aerial projectiles, the IRGC carried out new strikes targeting the US air base from which the attack originated in the wee hours of Thursday, it added.
“This response is a serious warning to the enemy that they should know the act of aggression will not go unanswered,” the IRGC emphasized.
The elite military force warned of a “more decisive” response if the enemy repeated any act of aggression.
It also said the responsibility for the consequences of any IRGC response lies with the aggressor.
The statement comes after the IRGC Navy on Thursday forced an American tanker to turn back. The tanker ...
Volker Turk has warned that efforts to advance reparatory justice are facing resistance in “certain quarters,” and urged countries to back Africa’s push.
Reparatory justice for historical crimes, including colonialism, enslavement, and the trade in enslaved Africans, is crucial to dismantling systemic racism, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has said.
Speaking at the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent on Tuesday, Turk linked present-day discrimination against people from the continent to the enduring legacy of colonialism and enslavement.
”Racism and dehumanizing rhetoric continue to permeate public institutions, communities, and online platforms,” he said, according to the UN Press Service. Turk noted that “digital technologies, including AI, are reproducing and amplifying existing biases against people of African descent.”
The remarks come weeks after the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring the transatlantic slave trade “the gravest...
The US VP had to defend President Trump’s Gaza policy at a rally on a Georgia college campus.
US Vice President J.D. Vance was forced to defend Washington’s policy in Gaza after he was booed and heckled at a key MAGA event on Wednesday.
Co-founded by the late Charlie Kirk, Turning Point USA (TPUSA) is a conservative student group that has long been seen as a strong support base of President Donald Trump’s MAGA movement but is now showing apparent cracks.
Less than 15 minutes into a TPUSA event at the University of Georgia on Wednesday, Vance was interrupted by hecklers over US policy in Gaza, with one audience member shouting, “Jesus Christ does not support genocide!” As he attempted to respond, others shouted, “You’re killing children!” and “You’re bombing children!”
Vance replied by referring to Trump’s achievements as president, including securing a fragile ceasefire in Gaza, something he said the previous administration of Joe Biden failed to do.
“I ...
