AS the ruthless killing and persecution of the natives in Gaza crossed the 100-day mark, the Palestinians kept looking at the super rich Middle Eastern countries for some kind of intervention, but that was not to be. Global bodies, including the United Nations, also failed to reign in Israel’s inhumanity. It was against such a bleak scenario that South Africa stepped forward to do what no other entity was even willing to do. The South African move to bring a case against Zionist Israel in the Interna-tional Court of Justice (ICJ) has proved that the country still adheres to the golden principles of Nelson Mandela.
In its presentation of the case before the ICJ judges, South Africa articulated the harrowing plight of Palestinians in Gaza who are trapped under siege, bombarded by continuous Israeli air strikes, and attacked by a deadly Israeli military ground invasion.
The legal team represtning South Africa presented the horrible conditions in Gaza caused by Israeli bombardment, including over 24,000 dead, and about 1.9 million displaced.
One of the advocates presenting South Africa’s case put forward five main genocidal acts that Israel must be penalised for; mass killing of Palesti-nians, bodily and mental harm, forced displacement and food blockade, destruction of the healthcare system, and prevention of Palestinian births.
The South African legal move has been criticised by Israel and its Western partners, which could only have been expected. Although the case against Israel may take years to culminate due to a strong lobby that is led by the United States at various international forums, the case presented by South Africa has humiliated Israel diplomatically.
South Africa deserves every applause that has come its way, and then some more, for having taken a stand that is repre- sentative of the will of the people of the civilised world.
The fact that the sentiments of the people are not shared by their respective governments is a reflection of the growing disconnect that is fast becoming a charac- teristic of modern governance systems across the world, including the West.
Zain ul Abidin Jessar
Larkana
Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2024
