Why is South Africa taking Israel to court for genocide?
Israel is set to face the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over genocide allegations initiated by South Africa. The question looms: Why is South Africa expressing such staunch criticism of Israel? And could historical echoes of apartheid be at play?
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00:00 South Africa is accusing Israel of genocide in the Gaza war.
00:04 Pretoria has asked the International Court of Justice, ICJ,
00:09 to order Israel to suspend its military actions in Gaza
00:13 and to stop any genocidal acts.
00:15 Israel says the case is baseless.
00:19 Both South Africa and Israel are signatories to the 1948 Genocide Convention.
00:24 That gives the ICJ jurisdiction to rule on disputes over the treaty.
00:28 Since Israel's war on Hamas began, South Africa has been a vocal critic.
00:34 To understand South Africa's position,
00:36 it is important to understand one key issue - apartheid.
00:41 Apartheid, the systematic segregation based on skin color in South Africa, ended in 1994.
00:49 The African National Convention, ANC, equates Israel's treatment of Palestinians
00:54 in the West Bank and Gaza to apartheid, a claim Israel rejects.
00:59 South Africa warns of prosecuting citizens in the Israeli army
01:04 and condemns the bombardment of Gaza's civilian infrastructure.
01:08 The EU, the United States, Germany, and other governments
01:11 recognize Hamas as a terrorist group.
01:14 South Africa does not.
01:16 Groups like the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, SAJBD,
01:21 condemned the series of major terror attacks carried out by Hamas
01:25 in southern Israel on October 7.
01:27 They insist on the two-state solution -
01:31 an independent Palestinian state coexisting peacefully with Israel.
01:36 The genocide case against Israel at the top UN court is part of South Africa's move
01:41 to intensify pressure against Israel.
01:44 The ICJ will hear the case starting January 11.
01:48 The court's ruling are final and without appeal,
01:50 but it has no way of enforcing them.
01:52 A ruling against Israel could hurt its international reputation
01:57 and set a legal precedent.