South Africa Trying to Delay ICJ Genocide Case for Lack of Evidence

September 11, 2024

by: JNS

Wednesday, 11 September 2024 | South Africa is attempting to extend the deadline for presenting evidence against Israel at the International Court of Justice [ICJ] in the Hague because it is unable to prove its allegations of genocide, Kan News reported on Tuesday.

The move comes some nine months after the country submitted a suit against the Jewish state over the Israel Defense Forces’ [IDF’s] conduct in the war against the Hamas terror group in Gaza, claiming that the IDF is committing genocide.

South Africa is required to submit its evidence on October 28, but is trying to extend the deadline by several months in the hope that evidence proving their genocide accusations will come from other places.

Kan noted how unusual the tactic is, as plaintiffs generally want to expedite the proceedings and the defendant, in this case Israel, wants to slow it down.

Axios reported on Monday about an Israeli campaign to exact a heavy price in the diplomatic arena for South Africa’s ICJ suit, with the Israeli Foreign Ministry in recent weeks engaged in a diplomatic effort to prevent South Africa from moving forward with the case, including sending a classified cable to the Israeli embassy in Washington and all Israeli consulates in the US.

“We are asking you to immediately work with lawmakers on the federal and state level, with governors and Jewish organizations to put pressure on South Africa to change its policy towards Israel and to make clear that continuing their current actions like supporting Hamas and pushing anti-Israeli moves in international courts will come with a heavy price,” the cable read.

Editor’s note: Israeli media reported late on Thursday that the International Court of Justice in The Hague has since refused South Africa’s request to postpone the deadline to submit evidence showing the alleged genocide.

Posted on September 11, 2024

Source: (This article was originally published by the Jewish News Syndicate on September 8, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

Photo Credit: Bastiaan Musscher/U.N. Photo/ICJ-CIJ/jns.org