South Africa's FM calls for solidarity with Palestine in Global South
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In an exclusive statement to Al Mayadeen, the South African Minister of Foreign Affairs calls on the countries of Africa, the Middle East, and the Global South to stand in solidarity with Palestine.
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South Africa's Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor addresses reporters after a session of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, Friday, January 26, 2024. (AP)
In an exclusive interview with Al Mayadeen, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Africa, Naledi Pandor, affirmed that the details of the ICJ decision and temporary measures which "Israel" has been mandated to comply with are indicative of the seriousness with which the International Court of Justice is dealing with the lawsuit filed by her country.
She added that with this decision, the court has initiated the first part, which is an indication of the transition to the practical part as the court examines the evidence brought forth by South Africa.
Pandor pointed out that this is the first time a lawsuit of this kind has been filed against "Israel," and the decision was issued quickly regarding the temporary measures, describing the decision as "historic."
Through Al Mayadeen, the minister appealed to African and Middle Eastern countries and all the countries of the Global South to stand in solidarity with Palestine to follow up with the court case.
"We want civil society and governments across Africa, the Middle East, and the rest of the Southern countries, in particular, to ensure that we all stand together with the people of Palestine and ensure the collective pursuit of this case."
"Now, what we want is we would like other countries to join South Africa in the case."
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) January 27, 2024
South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor described the International Court of Justice's decision as historic.
In an exclusive statement to #AlMayadeen, she emphasized that it marks the… pic.twitter.com/AeG5cwnoQQ
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The United Nations' highest court asserted its jurisdiction to act on the emergency measures sought by South Africa in its lawsuit against "Israel's" actions in the Gaza war.
Despite the Israeli request for dismissal, the World Court stated that it would not dismiss the case.
As the reading proceeded, the court recognized the right of Palestinians in Gaza to be protected from acts of genocide, adding that the Palestinians are a protected group under the genocide convention. However, the ruling does not deal with the core accusation of the case - whether genocide occurred - but focuses on the urgent intervention sought by South Africa.
Among the measures South Africa requested was an immediate halt to the Israeli military operation, which has laid waste to much of the enclave and killed more than 26,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.
