South Africa accuses Israel of genocide in court claim
South Africa has filed an application at the International Court of Justice to start proceedings against Israel for what it claims are “genocidal” acts in Gaza.
It asked the court to issue an urgent order declaring that Israel was in breach of its obligations under the Genocide Convention — prompting a furious reaction from Israel, which denounced the case as a “blood libel”.
The court application is the latest move by South Africa, a vociferous critic of Israel’s war in Gaza, to turn up the pressure after its parliament voted last month to suspend diplomatic relations with Israel and close its embassy in Pretoria.
South Africa has backed the Palestinian push for statehood for decades, likening the plight of Palestinians to that of the black
