South Africa files a case before the ICJ accusing Israel of genocide

The simple fact that now the international community will be forced to discuss whether Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute a genocide or not is, in and of itself, a massive blow to Israel’s image

As you might have heard, South Africa has filed a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing it of crimes of genocide for its actions in Gaza, which in less than three months have caused massive casualties (more than 21,000) and widespread destruction across the besieged enclave.

I’ve gone through the application filed by South Africa before the ICJ. It’s a very detailed document that is almost 100 pages in length. Here are some highlights:

The acts and omissions by Israel complained of by South Africa are genocidal in character because they are intended to bring about the destruction of a substantial part of the Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group, that being the part of the Palestinian group in the Gaza Strip.

The acts in question include:

(1) killing Palestinians in Gaza, including a large proportion of women and children — estimated to account for around 70 per cent of the more than 21,110 fatalities — some of whom appear to have been summarily executed;

(2) causing serious mental and bodily harm to Palestinians in Gaza, including through maiming, psychological trauma, and inhuman and degrading treatment;

(3) causing the forced evacuation and displacement of around 85 per cent of Palestinians in Gaza — including children, the elderly and infirm, and the sick and wounded — as well as causing the large scale destruction of Palestinian homes, villages, refugee camps, towns and entire areas in Gaza, precluding the return of a significant proportion of the Palestinian people to their homes;