The accusations made by South Africa against Israel are certainly resounding, but what support do they really have at the global level?
South Africa says more than 50 countries have expressed support for proceedings it launched before the United Nations’ highest court, accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza war.
Others, including the United States, have strongly rejected Pretoria’s allegations that the Jewish state is violating the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Many other countries have remained silent.
The various reactions to this historic case which was examined Thursday and Friday by the International Court of Justice in The Hague are symptomatic of a division of the world which could be expected, regarding the inextricable question, dating back to 75 years, of Israel and the Palestinians.
This Sunday marked the 100th day of the bloodiest period of war in this ancient conflict.
The majority of countries supporting South Africa’s cause belong to the Arab world and Africa. In Europe, only Turkey, a Muslim country, has publicly expressed its support.
No Western country has said it supports South Africa’s accusations against Israel. The United States, close allies of the Jewish state, rejected them as unfounded, the United Kingdom called them unjustified and Germany said it would “explicitly rejected”.
China and Russia have said little about one of the most important cases brought before an international court in recent history. The European Union also did not comment.
Reaction from the EU, US and UK: allegations “unfounded”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a visit to Israel a day before the legal proceedings began that South Africa’s allegations were “unfounded” and that the matter “diverted the world” efforts to find a lasting solution to the conflict.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the term “genocide” was not “to be taken lightly and we certainly do not think it applies here”.
“We do not agree with what the South Africans are doing”declared British Foreign Minister David Cameron.
Israeli authorities fiercely reject allegations of genocide and claim to defend their population. They say the offensive aims to eradicate the leaders of Hamas which rules the territory and which provoked the conflict by launching surprise attacks on southern Israel on October 7.
Antony Blinken said a genocide trial against Israel was “particularly exasperating” given that Hamas and other groups “continue to openly call for the annihilation of Israel and the massacre of Jews”.
The United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and other countries classify Hamas as a terrorist organization.
Israel’s military response in Gaza has left more than 23,000 Palestinians dead, according to Gaza’s health ministry, whose count does not distinguish between fighters and civilians. It indicates that more than two thirds of the dead are women and children.
Much of the northern Gaza Strip has become an uninhabitable moonscape, with entire neighborhoods destroyed by Israeli airstrikes and tank fire.
South Africa also condemned the Hamas attack on October 7, but said it did not justify Israel’s response.
Germany alongside Israel, Turkey supports Pretoria’s complaint
Germany’s announcement of its support for Israel last Friday, the day the hearings in The Hague closed, is of symbolic importance given its history linked to the Holocaust, the extermination by the Nazis of six million Jews in Europe. The State of Israel was established after World War II to serve as a refuge for Jews in the wake of those atrocities.
“Israel defends itself”, said German government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit. He also discussed the Holocaust, which was largely responsible for the creation of the United Nations Convention Against Genocide in 1948. “Given Germany’s history, the federal government considers itself particularly committed to the Genocide Convention”, did he declare. He called the allegations against Israel “totally unfounded”.
ADVERTISEMENTGermany has stated that it intends to intervene in this matter in favor of Israel.
The European Union has only said that countries have the right to refer the matter to the United Nations Court of Justice. Most of its member states refrained from taking a position.
Turkey, which is on the verge of joining the EU, has gone it alone in the region. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country had provided documents used against Israel in the case.
“With these documents, Israel will be condemned”did he declare.
Condemnation of Israel by Arab countries
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was one of the first entities to publicly support the complaint when South Africa filed it late last month. She stated that a “Mass genocide was carried out by the Israeli Defense Forces” and accused Israel of “target indiscriminately” the civilian population of Gaza.
ADVERTISEMENTThe OIC is a bloc of 57 countries that includes Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt. Its headquarters are in Saudi Arabia. The Cairo-based Arab League, almost all of whose 22 member countries are part of the OIC, has also supported South Africa’s cause.
South Africa has enjoyed some support outside the Arab world. Namibia and Pakistan endorsed the package at a session of the United Nations General Assembly last week. Malaysia also expressed its support.
“No peace-loving human being can ignore the carnage perpetrated against Palestinians in Gaza”declared Namibian President Hage Geingob, quoted in the newspaper “The Namibian”.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia has requested that “Israeli atrocities in Gaza are subject to legal action”.
The silence of China and Russia
China, Russia – which is also the subject of genocide allegations before this same court – and emerging power India have remained largely silent, apparently aware that taking a stand in such a sensitive matter would have little benefit and could irreversibly disrupt their relations in the region.
ADVERTISEMENTIndia’s foreign policy has always supported the Palestinian cause, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi was one of the first world leaders to express solidarity with Israel and label the Hamas attack as terrorism.
A fallback position?
A handful of South American countries spoke out, including Brazil, the continent’s largest economy, whose foreign ministry said President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva supported South Africa’s cause.
However, the ministry’s comments do not directly accuse Israel of genocide, but focus on the need for a ceasefire in Gaza.
South Africa’s complaint against Israel is two-pronged: it wants the court to find Israel guilty of genocide and to take swift action to force an end to its military campaign in Gaza. The court said it would make an interim decision soon, but given the seriousness of the case, the final verdict on the genocide charge could take years.
Brazil said it hoped the case would lead Israel to “immediately cease all acts and measures likely to constitute genocide”.
ADVERTISEMENTOther countries did not hesitate to side with South Africa. Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said the genocide case was “far from clear”but that he hoped the court would order a ceasefire in Gaza.
