SA’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) goes beyond just solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
It is a long-term initiative that extends even beyond Pretoria’s calculations of domestic and foreign policy interests. The leaders of the governing ANC who fought against apartheid and succeeded in establishing a democratic SA continue in efforts to transform international institutions that favour Western powers.
The ANC is the oldest liberation movement in Africa and it celebrated its 112th birthday in Mpumalanga at the weekend. The party is not only popular on the African continent but remains widely respected among leftist organisations in many parts of the world, especially the Middle East and Latin America.
SA stands as the natural representative of the African continent in international organisations and continues raising its voice for historically disadvantaged Africans and other communities who suffered under Western colonial powers.
The support and solidarity it has shown by raising its voice for Palestine is just one example among many in the fight for justice around the world. SA’s former presidents Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma criticised the Western world over the killing of Libya’s leader Muammar Gaddafi and Iraq’s Saddam Hussein on many occasions.
President Cyril Ramaphosa also led a peace initiative of seven African nations and travelled to Ukraine and Russia in June in efforts to end the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict.
Israel accuses the SA government of being the “legal arm of Hamas” but SA has repeatedly condemned Hamas’s October 7 attack. The ANC has long and established ties with the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). While Nelson Mandela was in prison he supported the PLO and its leader Yasser Arafat.
The ANC is currently engaging with Hamas as the organisation ruling the Gaza Strip. Apart from this, the party has not necessarily developed any strategic relations with the Hamas leaders.
Many ANC leaders are well aware that proving Israel is committing acts of genocide is no easy task and that even if The Hague rules in favour of SA, Israel is unlikely to stop harming civilians.
However, dragging Israel into the defendant dock at the ICJ carried great symbolic importance for the oppressed around the world. SA has gone to great lengths to maintain close ties with the US, especially after the Lady R incident wherein the US ambassador accused the country of providing weapons to Russia.
Washington has condemned SA’s decision to formally accuse Israel of genocide. On Monday, finance minister Enoch Godongwana told CNBC in Davos that Pretoria’s genocide case against Israel has “global support”.
However, none of these countries are principal international trading partners. It is therefore clear that the ANC government is not prioritising commercial or political gain from the genocide case. SA’s genocide case against Israel has already made the ANC a global human rights champion.
■ Terzi is an SA-based Turkish journalist and he holds a master’s degree in philosophy from the University of Johannesburg.
TURKMEN TERZI | No commercial or political gain from genocide case
SA leaders understand what it means to face decades of oppression
Image: GCIS
SA’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) goes beyond just solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
It is a long-term initiative that extends even beyond Pretoria’s calculations of domestic and foreign policy interests. The leaders of the governing ANC who fought against apartheid and succeeded in establishing a democratic SA continue in efforts to transform international institutions that favour Western powers.
The ANC is the oldest liberation movement in Africa and it celebrated its 112th birthday in Mpumalanga at the weekend. The party is not only popular on the African continent but remains widely respected among leftist organisations in many parts of the world, especially the Middle East and Latin America.
SA stands as the natural representative of the African continent in international organisations and continues raising its voice for historically disadvantaged Africans and other communities who suffered under Western colonial powers.
The support and solidarity it has shown by raising its voice for Palestine is just one example among many in the fight for justice around the world. SA’s former presidents Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma criticised the Western world over the killing of Libya’s leader Muammar Gaddafi and Iraq’s Saddam Hussein on many occasions.
President Cyril Ramaphosa also led a peace initiative of seven African nations and travelled to Ukraine and Russia in June in efforts to end the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict.
Israel accuses the SA government of being the “legal arm of Hamas” but SA has repeatedly condemned Hamas’s October 7 attack. The ANC has long and established ties with the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). While Nelson Mandela was in prison he supported the PLO and its leader Yasser Arafat.
The ANC is currently engaging with Hamas as the organisation ruling the Gaza Strip. Apart from this, the party has not necessarily developed any strategic relations with the Hamas leaders.
Many ANC leaders are well aware that proving Israel is committing acts of genocide is no easy task and that even if The Hague rules in favour of SA, Israel is unlikely to stop harming civilians.
However, dragging Israel into the defendant dock at the ICJ carried great symbolic importance for the oppressed around the world. SA has gone to great lengths to maintain close ties with the US, especially after the Lady R incident wherein the US ambassador accused the country of providing weapons to Russia.
Washington has condemned SA’s decision to formally accuse Israel of genocide. On Monday, finance minister Enoch Godongwana told CNBC in Davos that Pretoria’s genocide case against Israel has “global support”.
However, none of these countries are principal international trading partners. It is therefore clear that the ANC government is not prioritising commercial or political gain from the genocide case. SA’s genocide case against Israel has already made the ANC a global human rights champion.
■ Terzi is an SA-based Turkish journalist and he holds a master’s degree in philosophy from the University of Johannesburg.
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