Israel and the special intent to commit genocide

In Palestine, innocent civilians including women, children, hospital workers, humanitarian aid workers and journalists, are killed for simply being. That is a world we cannot accept.

These words are recorded in the “memorial”, the document recording South Africa’s main case against Israel and containing evidence showing how Israel’s government has violated the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip.

Through this detailed report which includes evidence and which on Monday was delivered to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), South Africa aims to demonstrate the genocidal nature of the actions undertaken by the Israeli government. Last week, several governments awoke worried by the Israeli parliament’s approval of two laws prohibiting the activities of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), preventing, therefore, its humanitarian actions in all the occupied territories. Even allies of Israel such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany, expressed serious concern at the Zionist measure.

In the Gaza Strip the Israeli government not only promotes the extermination of the Palestinians who live in that territory-prison, killing them physically with a variety of destructive weapons, depriving them of access to humanitarian assistance, causing living conditions that lead to their physical destruction.

Tel Aviv is not only ignoring and defying several of the ICJ’s provisional measures but is also using hunger as a weapon of war in its effort to depopulate Gaza through mass death and the forced displacement of the Palestinians. “The evidence will show that undergirding Israel’s genocidal acts is the special intent to commit genocide”, according to a communiqué from South Africa’s President’s Office about the delivery of the memorial which has over 750 pages of text backed by over four thousand pages of evidence and annexes.

“South Africa’s Memorial is a reminder to the global community to remember the people of Palestine, to stand in solidarity with them and to stop the catastrophe”, underlined the message.

The message criticised Israel’s impunity, unprecedented despite the violation of international law and norms since the UN Charter came into existence.

“Israel’s continued shredding of international law has imperilled the institutions of global governance that were established to hold all states accountable”, remarked the South African president.

The message thanked the other states that supported the South African action, along with the legal team that worked on the document for their dedication, skill and commitment.

The document emphasised that South Africa’s main objective is to stop a genocide in Palestine in a peaceful manner, demanding that Israel is held to account in the institutions created for this very purpose by the United Nations.

The document added that the blatant genocide in Gaza is obvious to anyone who is not blinded by prejudice and the international community cannot remain with its arms folded while people die.