Former British Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn called on the British government to support South Africa’s complaint filed before the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of committing “acts of genocide” in its aggression against the Gaza Strip.
“Every day, more unspeakable atrocities are being committed in Gaza,” Corbyn wrote on the X platform. “Millions of people around the world support South Africa’s efforts to hold Israel to account. Why can’t our government do this?” This was after an intervention he made in Parliament.
In an interview with journalist Piers Morgan last November, Corbyn was asked no less than 15 times whether he would describe the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) as terrorist because he refused to classify it as such.
According to the website of the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Corbyn published in a subsequent article in Tribune magazine that Hamas is a terrorist group, but added that Israel also commits terrorist acts.
Every day, another unspeakable atrocity is committed in Gaza.
Millions of people around the world support South Africa’s efforts to hold Israel to account. Why can’t our government? pic.twitter.com/CZuw530pEL
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) January 8, 2024
“Green light to kill”
Corbyn had previously directed harsh criticism at British politicians, saying that they were giving a green light to Israel to “annihilate” the Gaza Strip, and stressed that his country’s politicians must be consistent with the principle of everyone’s right to life.
Corbyn participated in a march in the capital, London, in November, declaring his refusal to kill civilians, and demanding an end to the war and the siege on the Gaza Strip.
In an interview with Tel Aviv Tribune Net at the time, Corbyn stressed the need for voices that support stopping the escalation and calling for peace, “but instead our political leaders give the green light to annihilate the Gaza Strip.”
South Africa had filed a lawsuit against Israel before the highest court of the United Nations, the International Court of Justice, accusing it of committing genocide. The court set the dates of January 11 and 12 to hold the hearings.
In its lawsuit, South Africa focuses on the Genocide Convention signed by the two countries, and believes that UN judges must first issue an order to quickly end the war against the Palestinians to protect their rights.
It is noteworthy that the decisions of the International Court of Justice are generally binding, but the judges do not have the authority to impose the implementation of these rulings on the condemned state.
