By Qais Abu Samra
RAMALLAH, Palestine (AA) – Palestine on Thursday hailed South Africa’s lawsuit at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing Israel of genocide in the Gaza Strip as a “historic move.”
“The Palestinian people consider South Africa's ICJ case against Israel for committing genocidal crimes in Gaza as a historic move,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
It said the international community’s inaction “encourages Israel to commit crimes, leading to the commission and incitement to commit the crime of genocide…along with the complicity of some countries by using the veto and providing political and military support.”
The ministry called on all countries to provide support to South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the ICJ.
South Africa filed on Dec. 29 an application instituting proceedings against Israel before the ICJ.
The African country suspended relations with Israel on Nov. 21, in response to its army’s intensified attacks on the Gaza Strip. And later on Dec. 29, it filed a petition with the ICJ to initiate genocidal proceedings against Tel Aviv.
Israel has pounded the Palestinian enclave since a cross-border attack by Hamas in which Tel Aviv says killed around 1,200 people.
At least 23,357 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and 59,410 others injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.
About 85% of Gazans have been displaced, while all of the population is food insecure, according to the UN. Hundreds of thousands of people are living without shelter, and less than half of the aid trucks are entering the territory than before the start of the conflict.
*Writing by Ahmed Asmar