THE
HAGUE —
South Africa's efforts in The Hague to compel Israeli authorities to
cease its war on Gaza by filing a genocide lawsuit have garnered broad support
from
Latin American countries to Southeast Asia.
اضافة اعلان
Israel
responded angrily, describing it as "absurd," but
Palestinian supporters in South Africa and online praised the attorneys sent by South
Africa to argue the case, Al-Mamlaka TV reported.
In
a historic ruling on Friday, the
International Court of Justice affirmed that
Israel must do everything in its power to prevent any acts of genocide in Gaza
and facilitate the delivery of aid to the region. However, it fell short of
issuing the desired order from South Africa for a ceasefire.
Experts
argue that South Africa's urgent case, accusing Israel of violating the 1948 UN Genocide Prevention and Punishment Convention in Gaza, has revealed the
widening gap between Israel and its Western allies on one side and Southern
countries on the other.
Johan
Sophie, an international law specialist and former legal director of the UN
Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza, stated,
"Southern countries have long viewed (international justice) as selective
justice."
He
added, "These 'Southern' countries increasingly reject this view,
considering it within the framework of new colonialism."
The
lawyer defending Israel in court, Tal Becker, asserted that South Africa
"unfortunately presented deeply distorted facts and a narrative to the
court," emphasizing that Israel's response was in the context of
self-defense.
Double
standards
As
civilian casualties rise and diplomatic efforts to achieve a ceasefire fail,
Palestinian supporters seek legal avenues to stop the violence.
Countries
with Muslim-majority populations, including Iran, Turkey, Jordan, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Malaysia, and the Maldives, openly supported the case before the International Court of Justice. Additionally, a group of left-leaning
governments in Latin America, such as Bolivia, Colombia, Brazil, and Venezuela,
expressed their support.
Brazilian
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva appeared particularly fervent, accusing
Israel of committing "terrorist acts." In contrast, the United States,
Israel's strongest ally, opposed the case. Some EU countries and the UK also
refused to endorse it, with France stating that accusing Israel of genocide
represents a "violation of an ethical threshold."
Unlike
its neighbors, India did not support the case.
Professor
Marco Sassoli, an international law expert at the University of Geneva,
remarked, "I'm not sure everyone in the West supports Israel, and everyone
in the global South opposes Israel."
He
added, "Double standards are common between Western and global Southern
countries. Double standards poison the credibility of international law,"
citing widespread Western opposition to the Russian attack on Ukraine.
Since
some supporters of the cause did not sign the 1948 Genocide Convention, they
hesitated to officially back South Africa's move.
Indonesia,
with its Muslim-majority population, is one such country. In the mid-1960s, the
country witnessed anti-communist purges, supported by the military, claiming
the lives of at least 500,000 people.
Instead
of expressing full support for the case, Jakarta provided legal consultation to
the International Court of Justice, calling for the supremacy of international
law, according to Hikmahanto Juwana, an international law professor at the
University of Indonesia, who contributed to its formulation.
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