The first public hearing of the International Court of Justice to consider the lawsuit filed by South Africa against Israel is scheduled for January 11.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) will hold its first public hearing on January 11 in The Hague, to consider the lawsuit filed by South Africa against Israel accusing it of crimes of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
Spokesperson for the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), Clayson Monyela, said in a post on X that the hearing is scheduled for January 11 and will continue until the next day. He said, “Our lawyers are currently preparing for this.”
In a statement, the ICJ said that South Africa, in its request, “asks the Court to indicate provisional measures in order to “protect against further, severe and irreparable harm to the rights of the Palestinian people under the Genocide Convention” and “to ensure Israel’s compliance with its obligations under the Genocide Convention not to engage in genocide, and to prevent and to punish genocide.’”
Israeli officials are concerned that the Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) will charge Israel with genocide in Gaza, Israeli media reported. https://t.co/4oSFXyWv4c pic.twitter.com/NIj5ZFTBqO
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) January 1, 2024
DIRCO said in a statement that “As a State Party to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, South Africa is under a treaty obligation to prevent genocide from occurring.”
Moreover, the statement added, South Africa has continuously called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire “and the resumption of talks that will end the violence arising from the continued belligerent occupation of Palestine.”
Israel has said it will appear before the ICJ to counter what it called “South Africa’s absurd blood libel.”
Malaysia, Turkey, OIC Endorse South Africa’s Action
Meanwhile, Malaysia, Turkiye, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have endorsed South Africa’s application before the ICJ.
Turkish foreign ministry spokesperson Oncu Keceli said in a statement on Wednesday that “Israel’s murder of more than 22,000 Palestinian civilians, the majority of whom were women and children, in Gaza for nearly three months should not go unpunished in any way.”
Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Tuesday, that “As a fellow State Party to the Genocide Convention, Malaysia calls on Israel to fulfill its obligations under international law and to immediately end its atrocities against the Palestinians.”
GAZA HEALTH MINISTRY: 22,438 Palestinians have been killed, and 57,614 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
FOLLOW OUR LIVE BLOG:https://t.co/SnoS3jX5Ey pic.twitter.com/hLIjHjVp0I
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) January 4, 2024
In a statement on Sunday, the 57-member states of the OIC called on the court to “take urgent measures to stop this mass genocide being perpetrated” by Israel.
The hearings will be streamed live and on demand in the two official languages of the court, English and French, on the court’s website and on UN Web TV.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 22,313 Palestinians have been killed, and 57,296 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7. Palestinian and international estimates say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
