South Africa Minister of Justice Ronald Lamola and South African Ambassador to the Netherlands Vusimuzi Madonsela attend the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ahead of the hearing of the genocide case against Israel brought by South Africa, in The Hague on Jan. 11, 2024. (Credit: Remko de Waal/ANP/AFP)
THE HAGUE — South Africa accused Israel on Thursday of genocide against Palestinians, during opening remarks at the top UN court, in the hopes that a landmark case could compel Israel to cease its aggression in Gaza.
Thursday was the first day of proceedings for the case, brought to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, Netherlands, by South Africa, against the Israeli military's air and land campaign in Gaza.
Israel says the case is baseless. Over 23,000 people have been killed by Israeli bombardment and ground operations in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, since the war began on Oct. 7.
Here is a list of reactions from the region and around the world regarding the opening of this case:
Palestinian Foreign Ministry Statement issued in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank
"South Africa's case before the International Court of Justice ... is a historic event in the process of the joint Palestinian and South African struggle in the face of the injustice and genocide.
"Holding Israel, the illegal occupying power, accountable, using all legal tools, and through international justice institutions and international law enforcement, is the main focus of the legal strategy of the State of Palestine, and the core of the diplomatic and international movement.
"... What encouraged Israel and its various tools, including government officials, military personnel, and colonialists, to commit crimes, leading to the commission of, and incitement to commit, the crime of genocide, is due to international failure, the failure to take practical steps to hold it accountable ..., and supplying Israel with various types of lethal weapons and political support ..."
Hamas
Political official Basem Naim: "We welcome the convening of the [case] ... on the accusation of ethnic cleansing and genocide. We are looking forward to seeing a decision by the court that would achieve justice for the [Palestinian] victims, end the aggression on Gaza, and hold the war criminals accountable."
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri: "The Palestinian people are following the court session in The Hague with great concern and interest ... We urge the court to reject all pressure and take a decision to criminalize the Israeli occupation and stop the aggression on Gaza."
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken
"The US believes South Africa's genocide submission against Israel distracts the world from important efforts for peace and security."
Israeli Foreign Ministry
"Today we witnessed one of the greatest shows of hypocrisy in history and a series of baseless and false claims. South Africa ...[is] ignoring the fact that Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israel, murdered, executed, massacred, raped and kidnapped Israeli citizens, just because they were Israelis, in an attempt to carry out genocide.
"... South African lawyers also ignore the fact that Hamas uses the civilian population in Gaza as human shields and operates from hospitals, schools, UN shelters, mosques and churches with the intention of endangering the lives of the residents of the Gaza Strip."
"The state of Israel will continue to ... work for the release of all abductees and the elimination of ... Hamas, a racist and antisemitic terrorist organization that calls in its art for the destruction of the state of Israel and the murder of Jews."
Israel's Legal Counselor of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Tal Becker, lawyer Malcolm Shaw, and Gilad Noam, Deputy Attorney-General for International Affairs, attend the International Court of Justice (ICJ) prior to the hearing on the genocide case against Israel, brought by South Africa, in The Hague on Jan. 11, 2024. (Credit: Remko de Waal/ANP/AFP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
"The hypocrisy of South Africa screams to the heavens. Where was South Africa when millions of people were killed or torn from their homes in Syria and Yemen, by whom? By partners of Hamas."
"We are fighting terrorists, we are fighting lies. Today we saw an upside-down world. Israel is accused of genocide while it is fighting against genocide."
Read more about Netanyahu's statement here.
South African Jewish Board of Deputies
"South Africa’s double-speak and double-standards is also evident with dogged determination to remain neutral and `talk to both' sides in the Russia-Ukraine war. Yet, with Israel it has taken constant punitive action, including refusing to offer condolences to Israel after the Oct. 7 massacre, closing the South African embassy, issuing a demarche to the Israeli ambassador and now taking Israel to the ICJ.
"The SA Jewish Board of Deputies regrets all loss of civilian lives. We too, desperately want to see peace in the region and will support all initiatives that will bring about a two-state solution.
"Hamas started this war. Hamas can end it. South Africa could play a role in facilitating this."
Amer Salah, 23, a displaced Palestinian in Gaza
"Israel has always been a state above the law. They did what they did in Gaza because they knew they couldn't be punished as long as America was on their side. It is time to change that.
"We salute South Africa, and we want the war to be stopped and the court can do that. We call upon the world to say enough to Israeli killings, enough to massacres, enough to the destruction of Gaza, enough to the bloodshed."
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock
"It is a fact that genocide preconditions the intention to destroy or partly destroy a group because of their nationality, ethnicity, race or religion. I cannot detect any of this intention by Israel in its self-defense against an armed terror group Hamas. We will observe the hearing closely."
South Africa's Nelson Mandela Foundation
"The Nelson Mandela Foundation extends support to the South African legal team as they appear before the International Court of Justice today. Wishing them strength and success in their pursuit of truth, justice and peace. #CeasefireNow."
Lebanon's Foreign Ministry
"[We hope for a] fair and expeditious verdict that reflects respect for human values and rights, especially international humanitarian law."
Executive director of Human Rights Watch
"South Africa is providing important leadership here. It's really using this important opportunity ... If Israel does not comply with the measures or orders of the court, then it is up to the international community to ensure that they are leveraging whatever pressure that they can to encourage Israel to actually implement the measures."
Israel on Thursday of genocide against Palestinians, during opening remarks at the top UN court, in the hopes that a landmark case could compel Israel to cease its aggression in Gaza. Thursday was the first day of proceedings for the case, brought to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, Netherlands, by South Africa, against the Israeli...