Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could be facing an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC). Photo: Gali Tibbon/AFP via Getty Images
International relations minister Naledi Pandor said the International Criminal Court (ICC) should have already issued a warrant of arrest for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Nentanyahu for war crimes committed against Palestinians in Gaza.
In an interview with British-American broadcaster Mehdi Hasan in Washington, DC, Pandor emphasised that the ICC must take action, just as they did with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, and others.
As the death toll in Gaza continues to climb and starvation becomes a daily reality for Palestinians in the besieged enclave, South Africa has gained a growing chorus of supporters across the globe for its efforts to hold Israel to account.
Pandor said a warrant should have been issued for Netanyahu.
“We had made a submission to the ICC, we’ve not heard anything for months. I believe that the ICC needs to make a decision as to whether in terms of war crimes are they being committed. It’s not my decision.
“The ICC is an appropriate authority, we’ve wrote to it with our observations on what is happening, they must make the decision, same as they did with the Russian president,” Pandor said.
ALSO READ: WATCH: Pandor concerned about ‘catastrophic situation in Gaza’
Pandor said South Africa had to bring a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ)
“It’s the only country that has a similar experience to the Palestinian people and that has been firmly attached to the struggle for freedom and human rights,” she said, referring to the racial segregation and brutality black South Africans endured under apartheid.
“For us to be invisible in a massive human struggle where we know a huge murder is underway [in Gaza], I think that is unacceptable. … And having a large protest with a million is insufficient. There has to be an ongoing campaign to say to the world: ‘This can’t be’,” Pandor said.
Earlier this month, Pandor during a dialogue in Lenasia about South Africa’s ICJ case said she was deeply concerned about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and that South Africa must back the calls for help to assist Palestinians in what has been described as a grim situation in the enclave.
“We need to get aid into Palestine. I know how we can do it. All the countries, which are powerful countries with big armies that are giving arms to Israel, they must send their soldiers to the Rafah border to escort the 700 trucks into Gaza.”
Meanwhile, Israel continues to ignore the order by the ICJ after its ruling in January.
South Africa approached the World Court seeking several orders, including for Israel to immediately suspend its Gaza offensive; to stop forced displacement; to enable humanitarian access to thousands of displaced Palestinians; and to preserve evidence.
In its scathing judgment, the ICJ ordered Israel to take “all measures within its power” to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza.
The death toll in Gaza since 7 October, 2023 has now reached 32 226 Palestinians, mostly women and children, killed, and 74 518 others injured.
Israel has pounded Gaza since a cross-border attack by Hamas, which Tel Aviv said killed nearly 1 200 people.
ALSO READ: SA files ‘urgent request’ for additional measures in genocide case against Israel
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