Advertising
After bringing its genocide case against Israel to the International Court of Justice, South Africa has been praised for protecting Palestinians from Israeli bombings in Gaza.
By John Eligon
Reporting from Mbombela, South Africa
After presenting its genocide case against Israel to the International Court of Justice, South Africa praised pro-Palestinian activists around the world for opposing Israel’s war in Gaza and what many saw as the interests of Western countries.
At home, where satisfaction with the government is low, many South Africans applauded their leaders for taking a stand. Meetings were held to attend the court hearing. Demonstrators waved Palestinian flags in the streets.
Some South Africans saw the case as an example of hypocrisy on the part of the ruling component of the African National Congress, which they said had failed to denounce atrocities committed across other countries. But the leaders of the African National Congress, who led South Africa’s fight against the regime’s componentheid – have lived under blockade in Gaza to componentheid and say they are in a unique position to perceive the Palestinian experience.
“I must say that I have never felt as proud as I felt today when our legal team was arguing our case in The Hague,” President Cyril Ramaphosa said at a political event after the hearing on Thursday. Israel on Friday strongly denied the genocide accusation at the court, and it has long rejected the comparison of Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians to apartheid.
David Monyae, director of the Centre for African-China Studies at the University of Johannesburg, said that by taking an action of genocide against Israel, South Africa is not only bringing the Israeli government to justice, but also challenging the post-World War II global situation. context. order led through Israel’s main ally, the United States. The case showed that an African nation, smaller than the world’s superpowers, can simply step in to denounce what some see as Western countries’ double standards on human rights, he said.
“Just an ethical voice to tell the world, ‘This is what we do,'” Dr. Monyae said. “In the future, this will weaken the Western world’s ability to promote human rights. “
We are retrieving the content of the article.
Please allow javascript in your browser settings.
Thank you for your patience as we determine access. If you’re in Reader mode, log out and log in to your Times account or subscribe to the full Times.
Thank you for your patience as we determine access.
Already a subscriber? Sign in.
Want all the Times? Subscribe.
Advertisement