Thursday 11 January 2024 marks the beginning of 2 days of hearings of the case that accuses Israel of genocide in its war on Gaza. Referred by South Africa to the United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ), the case aims to hold Israel accountable, to suspend its military campaign and prevent further military aid being sent to Israel.

As South Africans we can be proud to be the country that has initiated this process. Although to be honest there is a mixed bag of emotions that since October 7th, it has taken 100 days of slaughter of over 22 000 innocent civilians, most of whom are women and children, for any country to have stepped forward.

Notwithstanding the fact that Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, and killed over 1200 Israelis, the disproportionate revenge with which Israel has responded has set the scene for the most violent attack of it’s nature in history. They have slaughtered more children in a shorter space of time than in any other modern war. Even more abhorrent are the US, UK and Germany which continue to supply arms to enable this massacre.

The countries supporting the case by South Africa are:

The Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC): The 57-member bloc, which includes Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan and Morocco, voiced their support for the case on December 30.

Malaysia: In a statement released on January 2, the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed the South African application. It reiterated a call for an independent Palestinian state “based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital”.

Turkey:Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Oncu Keceli posted on X on January 3 welcoming South Africa’s move.

Jordan: Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said on January 4 that Amman would back South Africa.

Bolivia: On Sunday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bolivia dubbed South Africa’s move as historic, becoming the first Latin American country to back the ICJ case against Israel.

The Maldives, Namibia and Pakistan: The three countries expressed support for the genocide case filed by South Africa during a UN General Assembly session on Tuesday.

International human rights lawyer Francis Boyle, who won two requests at the ICJ on behalf of Bosnia and Herzegovina against Yugoslavia regarding the Genocide Convention, believes the case against Israel is a convincing one.
University of Chicago political scientist John Mearsheimer described South Africa’s case as a “truly important document.” Mearsheimer is now convinced that Israel intends “to bring about the destruction of a substantial part of the Palestinian national, racial and ethnic …group,” a description that fits clearly under the definition of genocide in the Geneva Convention to which Israel is a signatory.
Both Boyle and Mearsheimer believe South Africa’s application has huge implications for the United States, especially President Joe Biden and his administration as “complicitous in Israel’s genocide,” a crime which is also punishable under the Genocide Convention which the US also ratified.
– Ebrahim Moosa, from an article on TRT World

Where to watch the hearings live

The hearings take place at the Hague in the Netherlands.
On Thursday, January 11th, from 10 am to 1 pm South africa will present its case. 
On Friday, January 12th, from 10 am to 1 pm Israel will be heard. It can be watched live on: 

https://webtv.un.org/en
https://www.icj-cij.org/calendar

What can you do to help

Join the Call for a Global Cyber Intifada (Uprising) on all social media platforms on January 11th and 12th, using the hashtag #EndIsraelsGenocide

Share your posts during the hearings:
🇵🇸Thursday, January 11th, from 10 am to 1 pm
🇵🇸Friday, January 12th, from 10 am to 1 pm

Please circulate and repost to get the widest coverage. Remember to like, share, and repost others’ posts as well.

You don’t have to be a Muslim to stand with Palestine🇵🇸
You just need to be human.
#EndIsraelsGenocide

We may have our flaws but it’s a great time to be South African! 🇿🇦