South Africa asks ICJ to classify Israel as apartheid state

Displaced Palestinians, taking shelter in hospitals and schools, walk amid destruction as a result of Israeli attacks to check on their homes and collect their items remain intact as the 4-day humanitarian pause begins for prisoner exchange and aid in Khan Yunis, Gaza on November 24, 2023. [Ashraf Amra – Anadolu Agency]

South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pando announced that her country is in the process of submitting a petition to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) demanding that Israel be classified as an apartheid state.

News24 quoted the minister as saying South Africa and Palestine were currently working on formulating practical strategies towards taking up the Palestinian cause to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the ICJ, in The Hague, the Netherlands, to “declare Israel as an apartheid state.”

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa had previously called on the ICC to investigate Israel’s practices in Palestine as war crimes.

On Tuesday, South Africa’s Parliament voted on a non-binding resolution to close the Israeli Embassy in the country and sever diplomatic relations with Tel Aviv until Israel agrees to a ceasefire and negotiations.

READ: Israel shoots at displaced Palestinians trying to return home to north Gaza

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