LONDON February 21. 2024 (Saba) - Pretoria filed charges before the International Court of Justice on Tuesday that the Zionist entity is practicing a "more extreme" form of apartheid in the Palestinian territories than what South Africa faced before 1994.
South African Ambassador to the Netherlands Vusi Madonsela said in a statement “We as South African citizens sense, see, hear and feel deep down the inhumane discriminatory policies and practices of the Zionist regime as a more extreme form of apartheid that has been institutionalized against black people in my country.”
The response came during hearings before the International Court of Justice, which witnessed the participation of 52 countries to provide a non-binding “advisory opinion” on the legal effects of the Zionist occupation in the Palestinian territories since 1967.
Madonsela stressed the need to stop the Zionist occupation and apartheid, considering that the international community's reluctance to hold "Israel" accountable encourages it to commit other crimes.
In a related context, these hearings come in light of the increasing legal pressure on the occupying entity due to the aggression in Gaza and the resulting attacks, while “Tel Aviv” refused to participate in the hearings and presented its position as a statement.
In another development in the case, Pretoria filed accusations that the occupying entity crossed a “new threshold” by committing “the crime of crimes, genocide,” as a result of the international community’s reluctance to hold it accountable for its policies and practices.
This comes within the framework of international efforts to put pressure on the occupying entity regarding the situation in the Palestinian territories, especially after the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation launched by the resistance movement “Hamas” last October.
For his part, Pieter Andreas Stemmet, the lawyer representing South Africa, said “Preventing apartheid and racial discrimination (…) is an imperative in international law” that obligates all countries, including the occupying entity.
Stemmet added “Israel’s complete disregard and lack of respect for these principles makes the occupation illegal in its essence and foundation.”
This case appears as part of a request submitted by the United Nations General Assembly to the International Court to consider the “legal consequences” of the Zionist occupation since 1967.
In the first sessions of the hearing, Palestinian officials presented testimonies in which they accused the Zionist occupation authorities of running a system of "colonization and apartheid" in the region, and demanded an end to the occupation and work towards achieving justice and accountability.
It is expected that the upcoming sessions will witness more countries expressing their opinions on this sensitive issue, as the discussion is expected to accelerate on issues of human rights and international law related to the Zionist aggression.
H.H
resource : Saba
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