During the second week of January, the government of South Africa dispatched a team of lawyers to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at the Hague, in the Netherlands, to prove that the state of Israel is allegedly engaging in a systematic genocide of the Palestinian people.
This was after a major escalation in conflict in the Middle East spurred by a large-scale attack on Israeli territory and citizens by Palestinian militant group Hamas on 7th October last year. Al Jazeera estimates that over 25 000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the conflict was renewed.
Arguments were heard from both the South African side and the Israeli defence on 11th and 12th January, with Israel dismissing South Africa’s claims of genocide as libel.
South Africa alleges that Israel has been handing out orders to its soldiers from the highest echelons of its government to kill Palestinian civilians en masse, while Israel defends itself by claiming that it has acted with reasonable measures to defend itself against Hamas, which is also alleged to have committed crimes against humanity on and after 7th October.
The ICJ – the United Nation’s (UN) highest court – is expected to deliver an interim verdict on the matter on Friday at 14:00 South African time at the Hague.
The latest will see South African foreign minister Naledi Pandor in attendance for the ruling, together with a South African delegation. South Africa is seeking the ICJ to order Israel to announce a ceasefire and stop its armed operations in the Gaza Strip and beyond.
“South Africa is requesting that the ICJ grant interim injunctions, including that Israel immediately cease its military operations in Gaza, take reasonable measures to prevent the genocide of Palestinians, ensure that the displaced return to their homes and have access to humanitarian assistance,” reads a statement from the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), as per SA News.
For South Africa, a victory against Israel would be a major sign of the country’s growing international influence, even if analysts believe that Israel may not cease its military campaign if it loses the verdict.
Where you can watch the ICJ deliver the interim verdict on the South Africa vs. Israel genocide case
The ICJ announcement of the verdict is set to be livestreamed on the UN’s web channel. The livestream is expected to begin at 13:30 South African time on Friday 26th January according to the channel’s streaming schedule. The announcement will be delivered at 14:00.
You can watch the stream of the ruling between Israel and South Africa here.
Additionally, news publications like Al Jazeera and the SABC will most likely have streams up during the same time on their website and YouTube channel respectively.
[Image – Photo by Matthew TenBruggencate on Unsplash]
