South Africa reiterated its commitment to justice for Palestine in the face of Israel’s military onslaught that has k*lled more than 41,000 Palestinians in almost a year. Estimates from medical journal Lancet put the figure as high as 186,000.
In his recent address to the United Nations General Assembly’s 79th session in New York, President Cyril Ramaphosa vowed not to be silent as Israel subjects Palestinians to apartheid. South Africa lodged a case at the International Court of Justice against Israel in December 2023, accusing it of gen*cide against Palestinians in Gaza. South Africa has received support and threats, with 13 countries expressing interest in joining the case or filing a declaration of intervention. On the other hand, Israel has lobbied the US Congress to pressure South Africa to drop the case.
Apart from the massacres in Gaza, multiple human-rights organisations have said Israel enforces an apartheid regime in the territory between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. They say Israeli policies systematically promote Jewish supremacy over Palestinians through spatial, legal and political divisions.
All this has been possible thanks to the West’s diplomatic, financial, military and political support.