RAMALLAH: The State of Palestine welcomed and praised the unprecedented legal case brought by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as part of its efforts to prosecute Israel, the occupying power, for its atrocious and extensive violations of the Genocide Convention, an international treaty that criminalizes genocide and obligates state parties to pursue the enforcement of its prohibition.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said in a statement released today that South Africa’s case highlighted the compelling evidence that Israel is deliberately violating its obligations under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

The ministry said that Israel is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip and has failed to take the necessary preventive measures to prevent such crimes from taking place by adopting policies that would bring about genocide and permitting incitement speech that calls for inflicting more harm on Palestinians.

The mini
stry stressed that such crimes are an indication of the imperative need to put an end to these heinous practices and to provide the Palestinian people with protection out of respect for human life.

The case presented at the International Court of Justice is a legal matter and not a political one, which obligates the Court to take the law as its reference for reaching a legal decision on this defining issue and avoid falling into the ambushes of hatred, racism, bias and double standards, said the statement.

The ministry affirmed that the Palestinian people will remain indebted to the South African government and its brave people for standing in the face of injustice inflicted upon the Palestinian people and for standing for humanity at a time when the Palestinians are subjected to the most challenging period in their decades-long suffering.

The ministry stressed that in light of the international community’s failure to uphold its responsibilities to achieve peace and security, the international system shoul
d be indebted to South Africa for taking this responsibility rather than just standing by watching while the principles and norms of international law are being violated for political expediency and at the expense of human life and the existence of an entire nation.

Source: Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA