South Africa hailed the ruling at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for what it called a “decisive victory” for international rule of law on Friday.
South Africa is satisfied by the ICJ’s instructions regarding Israel and the prevention of genocide, the country’s Foreign Minister, Naledi Pandor, said.
Asked by The Jerusalem Post if South Africa now intends to sever diplomatic ties with Israel, the minister said, “I don’t think it’s a matter between South Africa and Israel here. All your questions are about Israel, but the real issue is Palestine [and the] Palestinians who are being killed every day. The people of Palestine who are denied food, water, and energy – that is the critical issue we should all focus upon.”
“The court has given very, very direct instructions. We are satisfied that the provisional measures that we sought to be addressed would be addressed by the court,” she said as she stood outside the court at the Hague, where she had come to be present for the hearing.
Pandor said she hoped that the court would order Israel to stop the fighting. The ICJ issued six provisional measures it wanted Israel to take but stopped short of asking it to end the war.
The foreign minister did not say if she was disappointed by that move.
“I believe that if you read the convention very carefully, the matter of how a war or conflict is conducted is not elaborated. I would have wanted the word cessation included in the judgment.”
Statements from Hamas and Palestinian leadership
Hamas leaders were also pleased by the decision. A senior Hamas official, Sami Abu Zuhri, told Reuters on Friday that the ICJ decision is an important development that contributes to isolating Israel and exposing its crimes in Gaza. “We call for forcing the occupation to implement the court’s decisions,” he added.
Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said, “The ICJ judges assessed the facts and the law; they ruled in favor of humanity and international law. We call on all states to ensure that all provisional measures ordered by the court are implemented, including by Israel, the occupying power. This is a binding legal obligation. The ICJ order is an important reminder that no state is above the law. It should serve as a wake-up call for Israel and actors who enabled its entrenched impunity.”
Reactions from the Arab world and Iran
A foreign ministry statement said Egypt stressed the need to respect and implement the court’s decisions.
Saudi Arabia affirmed “its categorical rejection of the Israeli occupation’s practices and violations of the United Nations Convention on Genocide.”
Iran’s foreign minister called on Friday for Israeli authorities to face justice after the ICJ ordered Israel to take measures to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza.
“Today, the authorities of the fake Israeli regime... must be brought to justice immediately for committing genocide and unprecedented war crimes against the Palestinians,” Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said on the X platform.
“The ICJ didn’t give South Africa all it wanted, but this ruling is a resounding vindication of Pretoria’s decision to bring the case and a powerful indictment of Israeli policy,” human rights lawyer Reed Brody stated.
“Most importantly, whatever the Israeli government may say, this binding order will put pressure on Israel, directly and through its allies, to end the collective punishment of the people of Gaza and to allow humanitarian aid. Finally, after almost four months of death and destruction, Israel has faced a legal reckoning for its actions.”
“The World Court’s landmark decision puts Israel and its allies on notice that immediate action is needed to prevent genocide and further atrocities against Palestinians in Gaza. Lives hang in the balance, and governments need to urgently use their leverage to ensure that the order is enforced. The scale and gravity of civilian suffering in Gaza driven by Israeli war crimes demand nothing less,” stated Human Rights Watch (HRW).
“The court’s clear and binding orders raise the stakes for Israel’s allies to back up their stated commitment to a global rules-based order by helping ensure compliance with this watershed ruling,” HRW added.
“The stakes could not be higher. The ICJ’s provisional measures indicate that, in the Court’s view, the survival of Palestinians in Gaza is at risk. The Israeli government must comply with the ICJ’s ruling immediately,” Amnesty International commented.
THE EUROPEAN UNION said on Friday that it expected Israel and Hamas to fully comply with the rulings of the ICJ.
German Foreign Affairs Minister Annalena Baerbock said that “Israel must adhere to the court’s order” and that “Hamas, too, is bound by international humanitarian law and must finally release all the hostages.” She also stated, “We will do everything in our power to support this, as well as the order to Israel to take immediate measures to enable the provision of more humanitarian assistance to Gaza.”
South Africa’s justice minister, Ronald Lamola, told Reuters that Nelson Mandela would be smiling in his grave at Friday’s ICJ judgment.
The ANC has long defended the Palestinian cause, a relationship forged when its struggle against oppressive white-minority rule was cheered on by Yasser Arafat’s Palestine Liberation Organization.
The ANC has likened Israel’s actions to its struggle against apartheid, a comparison rejected by Israel.
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.