In a noteworthy divergence from the government’s stance, hundreds of Israelis have expressed support for South Africa’s International Court of Justice (ICJ) case against Israel, accusing it of genocide in Gaza. Over 600 Israelis have signed a petition urging the ICJ to rule in favour of South Africa’s lawsuit, calling for an immediate end to the conflict.
Israel’s offensive in Gaza has resulted in the deaths of over 23,000 Palestinians, primarily women and children, and left much of the Gaza enclave uninhabitable for its 2.2 million residents. South Africa filed a lawsuit last month, alleging Israel’s violation of the 1948 Genocide Convention and aiming to halt Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
Hearings on the case are anticipated in The Hague this week, on January 11th and 12th. Bolivia, Turkey, Malaysia, and Jordan have voiced their support for South Africa’s case. Dr. Anat Matar, one of the petition initiators, emphasised the urgency of stopping the war immediately.
While an overwhelming majority of Israelis still support the war, the petition adds Israeli voices to global calls accusing Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government of ethnic cleansing and genocide in Gaza. Some believe that public trends can impact judicial rulings, providing potential credibility to South Africa’s lawsuit.
Israel, rejecting the allegations, claims self-defense in the face of increasing international calls to end the offensive in Gaza. The ICJ panel set to hear the case this week includes Israel’s former Supreme Court president, Aharon Barak, and South Africa’s ad hoc judge, former deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke.
Scotland’s first minister, Hamza Yusuf, accused Israel of ethnic cleansing amid senior Israeli cabinet members’ remarks calling for the relocation of Palestinians from Gaza and Jewish recolonisation of the area. The United States and Israel have criticised South Africa’s case at the ICJ.