South Africa Urges ICC to Issue Arrest Warrant for Netanyahu over Gaza Genocide
"The murder of children, of women and the aged by Israel is an act that should have resulted in the International Criminal Court issuing an immediate arrest warrant for key decision makers including Mr. Netanyahu, who is responsible for violations of international criminal law," South Africa's International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor said during her address to members of Parliament on Tuesday.
The South African minister also called for an immediate ceasefire in the besieged Palestinian territory which has been under brutal Israeli bombardment since October 7. Now the aparthied Israeli regime is preparing for a ground invasion of Gaza.
"This cannot be tolerated; this brutality should not be accepted. We must call for a ceasefire now as honorable members of the House of South Africa," Pandor said.
“As South Africans, we need to raise our voices and call for the following concrete actions to end the suffering. One, an immediate comprehensive ceasefire. Two, the opening of humanitarian corridors so that aid and other basic services reach all in need," she said.
The official also rebutted accusations of alleged bias in favor of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas: "It is untrue that South Africa has not criticized Hamas," Pandor said.
She noted that the South African president stated very clearly, in concert with the secretary general of the United Nations, that the killing of civilians is a violation of international human rights law.
The minister also reminded Israel of its responsibility as an occupying power.
“An occupying state cannot exercise control over territory it occupies, and simultaneously attack that territory on the claim that it is foreign and poses an exogenous national security threat,” Pandor said.
The South African minister also urged for a "reform of the system of global governance" that would "provide protection for the most vulnerable."
The remarks came one day after Pretoria recalled its diplomatic mission to Israel.
Pandor's call echoes those of Algeria's president or the prime minister of the Palestinian authority. On Monday, President Abdelmadjid Tebboune called on the ICC to take action to hold Israel accountable for the crimes it is committing against Palestinians in Gaza.
On that same day, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh called on the ICC to issue arrest warrants for Israeli officials over the constant bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
On October 31st, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) filed a complaint for war crimes committed against Palestinian journalists in Gaza. The NGO said the reporters were "the victims of attacks amounting to war crimes justifying an investigation by the prosecutor" of the ICC.
ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan, who was on a mission to the region in late October said he had intensified his efforts to get into the region to meet with victims' families but had so far been unsuccessful.
Israel like the United States is not a member of the ICC. It refused to cooperate with the court in 2021 over the war crimes investigation into the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Source: africanews.com
