South Africa Wants Israel Declared Apartheid State

November 24, 2023

Naledi Pandor, Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Africa.. (Photo: Rafael Stedile, via Peoplesdispatch.org)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

The South African government intends to petition the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice to declare Israel an apartheid state.

According to Naledi Pandor, the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, South Africa and Palestine were currently working on formulating political strategies towards taking up the Palestinian cause to the ICC and ICJ, to “declare Israel an apartheid state”.

This follows the country’s referral to the ICC last week to investigate Israel for war crimes committed during its onslaught on the Gaza Strip.

“South Africa will directly petition the ICJ to give advisory opinion on the legal consequences arising from the ongoing violation by Israel of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination from its prolonged occupation, settlement, and annexation of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967,” said Pandor, in reply to a parliamentary question from a fellow MP, on Monday.

Pandor also said South Africa will work towards Palestine being granted membership at the United Nations.

“On the global level, South Africa supports Palestinian efforts for membership of the United Nations and the creation of positive, credible, and lasting international mechanisms to address the Palestinian cause based on international law,” Pandor explained.

On Tuesday, the South African Parliament voted overwhelmingly in support of a motion to close down the Israeli embassy in Pretoria, as well as cut all diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv.

South Africa also earlier in the year blocked Israel from getting observer status at the African Union.

The minister said that “in February 2023, South Africa welcomed the suspension of Israel’s observer status at the African Union”.

She said South Africa objected to the unilateral granting of official observer status by the chairperson of the African Union Commission on 22 July 2021.

“This action came at a time when the Israeli oppression became more brutal, the oppressed people of Palestine were and are subjected to bombardments and continued illegal settlements on their land, further hampering any efforts to the peace process.”

Until a humanitarian truce entered into force on Friday, November 24, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that over 14,854 Palestinians, including nearly 6,150 children, with another 36,000 wounded. 7,000 Palestinians are missing, including more than 4,700 women and children.

(The Palestine Chronicle)