Hearing at the International Court of Justice in the case South Africa v. Israel - Oral argument of South Africa is starting: https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k11/k11gf661b3
South Africa begins to present its case.
Starts out with recognizing the Nakba of 1948 and Israel's discriminatory policies that subject the people of Palestine to Apartheid and inhumane treatment.
Opening remarks for South Africa:
This did not start on 7 October.
"No armed attack, no matter how serious ... can justify breaching of the [Genocide] convention" as Israel is doing now.
South Africa present background context to their case, showing a map of how the zionist occupation controls pretty much all infrastructure and civilian life in Palestine.
South Africa: the first genocidal act of "israel" is the mass killing of people in Palestine. As of today, at least 23.210 people have been murdered, with ca. 7.000 Palestinians still missing, presumed dead. 40% of these are estimated to be children.
"israel" drops bombs on civilian locations designated at 'safe'.
There is no place safe in Gaza.
South Africa: the second genocidal act is inflicting serious bodily and mental harm on Palestinians. Around 60.000 people in Palestine have been wounded or maimed, the vast majority of these being children, elderly, and women.
South Africa: third genocidal act is to make conditions of life in Gaza impossible. "isreal" leaves nowhere safe.
"israel"'s evacuation order to about 1 million Palestinian people *itself* was genocidal, argues South Africa
Houses and infrastructure have been razed to the ground, leaving people nowhere to return to.
South Africa: "israel" imposes hunger and dehydration on people in Palestine.
93% of the population in Gaza is facing crisis levels of hunger.
More people are expected to die in Palestine from starvation and disease than from bombing.
Hospitals have been bombed. Humanitarian aid is blocked.
South Africa: fourth genocidal act is "israel"'s assault on Palestinian health infrastructure.
Special concern about violence committed against women, pregnant people and newborn children. Some of this violence can be classified as preventing Palestinian births.
South Africa points to the pattern of genocidal acts committed by "israel".
They state that the case against "israel" is even clearer than the case brought to the #ICJ of The Gambia against Myanmar, where the court was also prepared to take provisional measures to prevent genocide.
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South Africa: "israel" has clear genocidal intent. Points to patterns of destruction of homes, infrastructure. Every 1 in 4 Palestinians have been injured over the past months.
"israel"'s politicians, military and other prominent ppl have publicly expressed their genocidal intent.
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Quotes dehumanizing language used by "israeli" officials to refer to the people of Palestine, who call for Gaza to be razed to the ground and Palestinians to be deprived of water, electricity, and food.
Some of the language used by the zionist occupiers is too sickening for me to requote, but you can read the evidence here, in South Africa's application to the ICJ: https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/192/192-20231229-pre-01-00-en.pdf
South Africa points out that the language used by "israel" is not ambiguous. Shows clips that demonstrate that soldiers understood the language to be calls for genocide of the Palestinian people, calls for 'erasing Gaza'.
"israeli" soldiers make and distribute snuff videos of themselves blowing up entire neighbourhoods.
South Africa cites an "israeli" official and members of the Knesset who call for random murder, for 'erasing' the Palestinian people, as well as erasing all and any memory of Palestine.
Side remark: This is why we shouldn't shut up about the Nakba, why everyone should keep calling attention to the rights of people of Palestine until it has been completely liberated from oppression and they can live in their land in freedom and dignity.
#GazaGenocide #IsraelOnTrial #SouthAfrica
South Africa points out: "israel" bombs hospitals. It targets aid workers. It murders journalists. It's systematically destroying infrastructure necessary for survival: water works, solar panels, crops, mills, bakeries.
It's because of "israel" that Gaza is a place of death and despair.
South Africa now addresses the question of jurisdiction --- that is, whether this court can rule on this case between these parties
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South Africa quotes its president, Cyril Ramaphosa, expressing their abhorrence at:
"... what is happening in Gaza, which has now turned into a concentration camp, where genocide is taking place".
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Protests in support of Palestine outside the International Court of Justice in the Hague, live broadcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnfGTVMRzHs
#GazaGenocide #IsraelOnTrial #SouthAfrica #ICJ #Gaza #FreePalestine #CeasefireNow
Hearing resumes. South Africa continues making its case, describing the rights that South Africa seeks to preserve in Gaza
Says that what is happenings now is NOT a conflict between two parties. It's an occupying power oppressing and committing genocidal acts against Palestinians. Points out that the oppression has been going on for over 75 years.
#GazaGenocide #IsraelOnTrial #SouthAfrica #ICJ #Gaza #FreePalestine #CeasefireNow
South Africa quotes a representative who says that, over their decades-long experience, they haven't seen any case as severe as what's happening in Gaza in terms of speed and scale
#GazaGenocide #IsraelOnTrial #SouthAfrica #ICJ #Gaza #FreePalestine #CeasefireNow
Points out that it's not the court's task at this point to determine whether *actual* genocide is taking place, or whether it's the *only* possible explanation of what is happening.
The bar for demonstrating genocidal intent is lower.
The point here is to stop the occupying force from carrying out whatever it's doing, to prevent (any additional) genocide taking place
#GazaGenocide #IsraelOnTrial #SouthAfrica #ICJ #Gaza #FreePalestine #CeasefireNow
In making its case, South Africa repeatedly refers the court to its ruling in a case of The Gambia against Myanmar on genocide, which you can find here: https://icj-cij.org/case/178
#GazaGenocide #IsraelOnTrial #SouthAfrica #ICJ #Gaza #FreePalestine #CeasefireNow
South Africa continues to make its case, providing evidence of the risk of "irreperable harm" due to the occupier's actions in Palestine.
4 out of 5 people in the world who experience famine right now are based in Palestine.
#GazaGenocide #IsraelOnTrial #SouthAfrica #ICJ #Gaza #FreePalestine #CeasefireNow
South Africa: Each day 1 in 10 Palestinian children will have a limb amputated, often without anaesthetic.
Each day houses are bombed, often killing entire families.
People end up in mass graves, graves which the occupying forces then demolish and exhume -- not even granting people dignity in death.
#GazaGenocide #IsraelOnTrial #SouthAfrica #ICJ #Gaza #FreePalestine #CeasefireNow
"The situation could not be more urgent", says South Africa.
"israel" has already made Palestine particularly vulnerable due to its decade-long occupation. Now the occupier has brought Gaza to the brink of famine.
#GazaGenocide #IsraelOnTrial #SouthAfrica #ICJ #Gaza #FreePalestine #CeasefireNow
If provisional measures were appropriate in the cases of Bosnia, Myanmar, and Ukraine, how could it not be applicable in Gaza? asks South Africa
#GazaGenocide #IsraelOnTrial #SouthAfrica #ICJ #Gaza #FreePalestine #CeasefireNow
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Protesters in support of Palestine outside the International Court of Justice in The Hague
#GazaGenocide #IsraelOnTrial #SouthAfrica #ICJ #Gaza #FreePalestine #CeasefireNow
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South Africa: the conditions for the effective delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza no longer exist.
Without a halt to "israel"'s operations, there is imminent risk to irreparable harm
#GazaGenocide #IsraelOnTrial #SouthAfrica #ICJ #Gaza #FreePalestine #CeasefireNow
"It would be a complete departure of all of the court's jurisprudence not to grant provisional measures [to halt 'israeli' genocidal actions] in this case", says South Africa.
#GazaGenocide #IsraelOnTrial #SouthAfrica #ICJ #Gaza #FreePalestine #CeasefireNow
"The first genocide in history where the victims are broadcasting their own destruction in real-time, in the hope that someone, somewhere will do something".
The international community has failed. The world should be absolutely horrified and ashamed.
#GazaGenocide #IsraelOnTrial #SouthAfrica #ICJ #Gaza #FreePalestine #CeasefireNow
South Africa shows the court a sign from a hospital:
"Whoever stays until the end,
will tell the story
we did what we could
*remember us*"
Dated 20 October 2023. A few days later the author of the sign had been murdered, too.
#GazaGenocide #IsraelOnTrial #SouthAfrica #ICJ #Gaza #FreePalestine #CeasefireNow
