Justice Minister Ronald Lamola addressing the meida at the ICJ in The Hague. Photo: Screengrab of video.
Justice Minister Ronald Lamola has rubbished claims that South Africa is acting as a legal arm of Hamas.
This comes after some of South Africa’s top legal minds argued that Israel’s retaliation on Gaza for Hamas’ October 7 attacks is tantamount to genocide.
South Africa said there is an urgent need for the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to grant it provisional measures that will protect the lives of Palestinians as Israel continues its attack on Gaza.
However, the Israeli government hit out ahead of presenting its own case on Friday, accusing South Africa of “functioning as the legal arm of the Hamas terrorist organisation”, and labelling the ICJ case “one of the greatest shows of hypocrisy in history”.
ALSO READ: Israel calls SA lawyers ‘Hamas’ representatives in the court’
Lamola said Israel’s claims are baseless and have no merit.
“We have presented a case on behalf of South Africa, a number of Palestinians that are being killed in Gaza. We are not presenting any case on behalf of Hamas. So, that statement is baseless, it has got no merit, we do not have any mandate from Hamas.”
Lamola emphasised that South Africa’s case it not against the Jews.
“Our case is against the actions of the State of Israel. The actions of genocide that are committed in Gaza. In South Africa we have got a number of Jewish people doing business, living with us, and attending their churches in peace.
“So, the case is about the State of Israel and not about the Jewish people as a community,” Lamola added.
South Africa wrapped up its oral arguments at The Hague on Thursday.
In stressing the urgency for an order, Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh KC told the court of the consequences if it did not grant the provisional measures South Africa sought.
“Israel continues to deny that it is responsible for the humanitarian crisis it has created, even as Gaza starves. The aid it has belatedly begun to allow in is wholly inadequate, and does not come anywhere close to the average 500 trucks being permitted daily before October 2023.
“Any unilateral undertakings Israel might seek to give about future aid would not remove the risk of irreparable prejudice, not least considering Israel’s past and current conduct towards the Palestinian people, including the 16 years of brutal siege on Gaza,” Ní Ghrálaigh argued.
On Friday, Israel will respond to South Africa’s argument that nothing can ever justify genocide, no matter how great the threat to Israeli security may be.
ALSO READ: ‘Nothing can ever justify genocide’ – Professor Vaughan Lowe
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