South Africa, the "S" in the BRICS group of nations, has urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to prosecute Israel for war crimes against the Palestinian people.
"In South Africa, we have an accord with many other countries in the world. So we see it fit to refer this whole Israeli government action to the ICC," said South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. "We have put through a referral because we believe that war crimes have been committed there."
According to Russia Today, Pretoria has already sent all relevant paperwork to the ICC, which is based in The Hague. Ramaphosa also requested that the ICC begin its probe into Tel Aviv's alleged war crimes at the soonest.
"Once a case has been referred to them, they need to take it up seriously. So South Africa, as well as a number of other countries, are presenting their full documentation to the ICC."
The South African leader previously condemned Hamas' Oct. 7 attack during an emergency virtual meeting of the BRICS+ group, accusing the militant group of violating international law. However, he insisted that Israel is committing genocide and blamed the raging conflict on the Jewish state's occupation of Palestinian territory.
"Of course, we do not condone the actions that were taken by Hamas earlier," said Ramaphosa. "But similarly, we condemn the actions that are now currently underway, and believe that they warrant investigation by the ICC."
According to line reports, more than 19,000 people – mostly women and children – have been killed in Israeli air and ground assaults in the Gaza Strip. This followed a promise by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to "eliminate" Hamas in retaliation for its Oct. 7 cross-border attack. The group, formally the Islamic Resistance Movement, killed about 1,200 people and abducted 240.
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Pretoria isn't alone in calling for ICC probe of Israel
In late November, South African lawmakers endorsed a motion to suspend ties with Israel until Netanyahu commits to a ceasefire. Tel Aviv recalled its ambassador to South Africa due to comments made by officials. Pretoria had earlier withdrawn its envoy and diplomatic staff from Israel – following the footsteps of other countries such as Bolivia, Belize, Bahrain, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Honduras, Jordan and Turkey.
Meanwhile, the South African government has warned its citizens against joining the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the Gaza conflict, citing the risk of violating both domestic and international law. "Any person joining the IDF without the necessary permission of the National Conventional Arms Control Committee is breaking the law and can be prosecuted," the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation said in a statement.
The virtual meeting of the BRICS+ group, which South Africa hosted, articulated varied positions on the conflict that together reflected the reluctance of some nations outside the world’s largest industrialized democracies to fall in line behind Washington’s support for Israel. The group also released a joint statement that the office of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres signed.
"We condemn any kind of individual or mass forcible transfer and deportation of Palestinians from their own land," the statement said. It also called for the release of all civilians who are being illegally held captive, as well as a humanitarian truce that would lead to a cessation of hostilities.
Aside from South Africa, Iran – which will officially join the BRICS group next month – has urged bloc members to designate the Israeli government and military as terrorist organizations because of atrocities against the Palestinians. (Related: BRICS nations may call for Israel to officially be labeled a “terrorist” state.)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan indicated that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu would face war crimes charges at the ICC "as the butcher of Gaza."
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Watch this clip about BRICS member South Africa charging Israel with war crimes.
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