South Africa recently filed a case at the United Nations’ top court accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, requesting an order for Israel to halt its attacks against innocent civilians immediately. South Africa’s petition to the International Court of Justice alleged that acts and omissions by Israel are genocidal in character as they are committed with the intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza as a part of the broader Palestinian national, racial and ethnic group.
South Africa asked the International Court of Justice to issue an interim order for Israel to immediately suspend its military operations in Gaza. South African Foreign Ministry has expressed grave concerns at the plight of civilians caught in the present Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip due to the indiscriminate use of force and forcible removal of inhabitants.
The Hamas-Israel conflict in Gaza has entered 12 weeks with unimaginable destruction and an unbelievable story of misery which perished over 21500 lives mostly children and women, while numbers of critically injured and permanent disabilities enlisted over fifty-five thousand. The global community including the United Nations and its executive arm the UN Secuirty Council (UNSC) failed against the world’s sole Jewish state and its resolute supporter the United States in realizing a ceasefire and ensuring peace in the war-turn territory.
Meantime, the political and diplomatic efforts of the OIC and major Arab nations including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, and Egypt could not bring any breakthrough except a temporary truce and exchange of dozens of prisoners from both sides. Interestingly, Muslim nations did not move beyond media statements, courtesy calls for a ceasefire and forego diplomacy to end conflict and secure peace in Gaza. How faint voices and feeble requests could impact belligerent decisions in the absence of risks of any serious backlash from adversaries.
Although, Muslim conscious remained asleep over the past almost three months and no single Muslim country threatened Israel for its blatant aggression and planned genocide of innocent unarmed Palestinians who had been bombed from the air and sea while the supply of essential elements including food, drinking water, fuel, electricity and lifesaving drugs was blocked by the Israeli military along with pushing for a forced exodus of millions of Palestinians from their homeland. Currently, the global community views Israeli actions as a planned campaign to push over 2.3 million Palestinians out of Gaza toward Sinai (Egypt) or any other country for onward encroachment/Jewish settlement in newly occupied areas.
Presently, the ratio of human causalities, material and economic losses vis-a-vis human rights abuses and crimes against civilians both for Israel and Hamas stands at 21500 killings, 55000 injuries, over 1.3 million displacements, mass human rights abuses and siege of an entire Gaza enclave by Israeli troops against 1700 deaths of Israelis, a few hundred injuries and over 100 hostages in Hamas custody.
Historically, world leaders, political analysts and human rights experts including the South African President have accused Israel of ethnic cleansing and genocide of Palestinian Arabs in the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Many have compared Israel’s policies regarding Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank with South Africa’s past apartheid regime of racial segregation. South Africa has been a fierce critic of the Israeli military campaign in densely populated enclave. As far as, Johannesburg’s petition is concerned, a hearing into that request is likely to be held in the coming days or weeks. The case, if it goes ahead, will take years, but an interim order for a ceasefire could be issued within weeks.
There is debate whether Israel and its staunch supporter would honour and implement the verdict of the Hague Court if it comes against them. There is the least scope of any such possibility, however, it would be a moral victory for poor Gazans and a political and diplomatic setback for the Jewish state and its allies.
