South Africa: We will continue to pursue Israeli war crimes case at the Hague court.
Speaking at the National Council of Provinces (the South African Senate) in Cape Town, Cyril Ramaphosa stressed that South Africa is determined to vigorously pursue the 2023 case against Israel at the Hague. Ramaphosa said: “The peace agreement (in Gaza), which we welcome, will have no impact on our case at the International Court of Justice.”
The South African president added: “The case is ongoing and has now reached a stage where Israel must respond to the allegations and must do so by January next year.”
In December 2023, South Africa filed a complaint against the Zionist regime at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, stating that the regime had violated the Convention on the Prevention of Genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Many countries around the world, including Brazil, Nicaragua, Cuba, Ireland, Colombia, Libya, Mexico, Spain, and Turkey, supported this complaint.
South Africa also submitted a detailed 500-page petition to the court in October 2024. The Zionist regime is scheduled to submit its defense bill to the Hague court in January of this year, and hearings are expected to be held in 2027 and the final verdict will be issued by late 2027 or early 2028.
The Islamic Republic of Iran also supported South Africa’s legal action in pursuing the crimes of the Zionist regime. Iran’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva in January 2023, following the Islamic Republic of Iran’s statement of support for South Africa’s action, announced: “The Islamic Republic of Iran welcomes and supports South Africa’s initiative to file a lawsuit against the crimes of the Israeli apartheid regime in Palestine under the Genocide Convention at the International Court of Justice; the international community should also support South Africa’s efforts to hold the perpetrators of the crimes accountable.”
Earlier this month, at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the President of South Africa criticized the Zionist regime’s disregard for international law and the rulings of the International Criminal Court, and called for global action to confront the Israeli regime’s genocide in the Gaza Strip.