South Africa Sues International Court Over Israel's Palestinian Genocide under International Law
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25041/lajil.v6i2.3427Abstract
This article examines the legal and geopolitical implications of South Africa's unprecedented lawsuit against Israel for genocide in Gaza, brought before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The conflict stems from longstanding tensions between Israel and Palestine, exacerbated during the October 7, 2023 crisis. South Africa's legal action alleges Israel's actions and omissions in Gaza constitute genocide under the 1948 Genocide Convention, citing evidence of extensive civilian casualties, particularly women and children. Israel, however, denies the accusations, attributing civilian deaths to Hamas and asserting its right to self-defense against rocket attacks. The ICJ's role as a peaceful dispute resolution forum is highlighted, emphasizing its authority to adjudicate disputes between nations and provide legal opinions. The research employs a normative legal approach, analyzing international law principles and regulations, using a case study methodology to explore the legal complexities of the case qualitatively. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the legal mechanisms governing international disputes and the potential impact of legal proceedings on conflict dynamics.
Keywords:
Genocide, ICJ, International Law, SuesReferences
Fassin, Didier. “The Rhetoric of Denial: Contribution to an Archive of the Debate about Mass Violence in Gaza.” Journal of Genocide Research 1, no. 1 (2024): 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623528.2024.2308941.
Freilich, Chuck. “Israel and the Palestinians: The Day After.” Survival 65, no. 6 (November 2, 2023): 67–73. https://doi.org/10.1080/00396338.2023.2285602.
Hokayem, Emile. “The Gaza War and the Region.” Survival 65, no. 6 (November 2, 2023): 57–66. https://doi.org/10.1080/00396338.2023.2285603.
Ihmoud, Sarah. “Love in a Time of Genocide: A Palestinian Litany for Survival.” Journal of Palestine Studies 52, no. 4 (October 2, 2023): 87–94. https://doi.org/10.1080/0377919X.2023.2289363.
International Court of Justice. “Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel),” 2024. https://www.icj-cij.org/case/192.
Ioffe, Yulia. “Forcibly Transferring Ukrainian Children to the Russian Federation: A Genocide?” Journal of Genocide Research 25, no. 3–4 (October 2, 2023): 315–51. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623528.2023.2228085.
Jazeera, Al. “ICJ Demands Implementation of Gaza Measures, but No New Action on Rafah,” 2024. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/16/icj-demands-implementation-of-gaza-measures-but-no-new-action-on-rafah.
———. “ICJ Hears South Africa’s Genocide Case against Israel over Gaza War,” 2024. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/11/icj-hears-south-africas-genocide-case-against-israel-over-gaza-war.
Kelmendi, PëLlumb. “Determinants of Individual Support for International Criminal Tribunals.” Ethnopolitics 23, no. 3 (May 26, 2024): 294–316. https://doi.org/10.1080/17449057.2023.2176585.
Khemani LLM Candidate, Melissa. “The Criminal Law of Genocide: International, Comparative and Contextual Aspects.” Commonwealth Law Bulletin 34, no. 4 (December 1, 2008): 941–43. https://doi.org/10.1080/03050710802521747.
Maguire, Amy, and Katie Thompson. “Palestine, Self-Determination and International Justice: Looking Back to The ICJ And Looking Forward to the ICC.” Griffith Law Review 26, no. 4 (October 2, 2017): 532–62. https://doi.org/10.1080/10383441.2017.1548000.
Marchuk, Iryna, and Aloka Wanigasuriya. “Beyond the False Claim of Genocide: Preliminary Reflections on Ukraine’s Prospects in Its Pursuit of Justice at the ICJ.” Journal of Genocide Research 25, no. 3–4 (October 2, 2023): 256–78. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623528.2022.2143528.
Mayersen, Deborah. “Predicting Genocide and Mass Killing.” Journal of Genocide Research 23, no. 1 (January 2, 2021): 81–104. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623528.2020.1818478.
Meiches, Benjamin. “Genocide and the Brain: Neuroscience, Mental Harm, and International Law.” Journal of Genocide Research 24, no. 1 (January 2, 2022): 23–44. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623528.2021.1911131.
Middle East Monitor. “South Africa Presents Its Case against Israel at the ICJ,” 2024. https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240111-south-africa-presents-its-case-against-israel-at-the-icj/.
Nijim, Mohammed. “Genocide in Palestine: Gaza as a Case Study.” The International Journal of Human Rights 27, no. 1 (January 2, 2023): 165–200. https://doi.org/10.1080/13642987.2022.2065261.
NPR. “3 Things to Know About the Genocide Case Against Israel in The Hague,” 2024. https://www.npr.org/2024/01/12/1224363666/israel-hamas-war-palestinians-south-africa-genocide-case-court#:~:text=South Africa tells the U.N., by Israel%2C including refugee camps.
Purdeková, Andrea, and David Mwambari. “Post-Genocide Identity Politics and Colonial Durabilities in Rwanda.” Critical African Studies 14, no. 1 (January 2, 2022): 19–37. https://doi.org/10.1080/21681392.2021.1938404.
Samudzi, Zoé. “‘We Are Fighting Nazis’: Genocidal Fashionings of Gaza(Ns) After 7 October.” Journal of Genocide Research 1, no. 1 (2024): 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623528.2024.2305524.
Schimmel, Noam. “Genocide: The Act as Idea.” The International Journal of Human Rights 22, no. 3 (March 16, 2018): 470–71. https://doi.org/10.1080/13642987.2017.1371141.
Segal, Raz. “The Modern State, the Question of Genocide, and Holocaust Scholarship.” Journal of Genocide Research 20, no. 1 (January 2, 2018): 108–33. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623528.2017.1412887.
Segal, Raz, and Luigi Daniele. “Gaza as Twilight of Israel Exceptionalism: Holocaust and Genocide Studies from Unprecedented Crisis to Unprecedented Change.” Journal of Genocide Research 1, no. 1 (2024): 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/14623528.2024.2325804.
The Guardian. “Israel Shows ‘Chilling’ Intent to Commit Genocide in Gaza, South Africa Tells UN Court,” 2024. https://www.theguardian.com/law/2024/jan/11/south-africa-accuses-israel-of-genocide-gaza-the-hague-international-court-of-justice.
The Wall Street Journal. “Israeli Air Force Says It Has Dropped 6,000 Bombs on Gaza,” 2024. https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/israel-hamas-war-gaza-strip/card/israeli-air-force-says-it-has-dropped-6-000-bombs-on-gaza-QK1aSnupiGqytMVO86PU.
Wells, Karen, Susana Cortés-Morales, James Esson, Deirdre Horgan, Fikile Nxumalo, Ann Phoenix, Pauliina Rautio, and Rachel Rosen. “Israel’s War on Gaza and the Violation of Children’s Rights.” Children’s Geographies 1, no. 1 (2024): 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1080/14733285.2024.2316752.
Downloads
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Copyright
Copyright (c) 2024 by the Auhtor(s) Published by Development Centre Research of Law and Scientific Publication on behalf of the Faculty of Law, Universitas Lampung
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.