South Africa's International Relations and Cooperation Minister, Naledi Pandor, has urged the international community to take action on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) order against Israel. Pandor stated that South Africa had done what it could to stop the killing in Gaza by referring Israel to the ICJ, and it was now up to others to take up the cause. She believes that Israel is ignoring the order of the court to prevent genocide in Gaza and that the world must reflect on what actions can be taken to stop such acts occurring not just with Israel but any party in the world.
Pandor suggested that one remedy would be for the UN Security Council to be reformed to give it the power to enforce peace and not just monitor peace agreements. She believes South Africa has done what it can and now the global community must answer the question: do these conventions mean anything? Or do we now have a world in which there is an open license where you can act as you will against any vulnerable group?
South Africa will continue to mobilize international support for Palestine aimed at protecting its people, particularly at trying to ensure negotiations for a two-state solution. The ICJ had ordered Israel to report back to the court in a month on its implementation of the court orders, such as preventing genocide in Gaza and ensuring basic services and humanitarian aid. South Africa will wait to see what Israel reports and then submit its own commentary "of what we have seen since the ICJ ruling."
Pandor also suggested that Israel's accusation that 12 staff members of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) had participated in the 7 October Hamas attacks inside Israel was part of a deliberate campaign of "negative actions against the people of Palestine." She called these suspensions "collective punishment" and called for support from its own resources and other countries, especially in the Global South, to compensate UNRWA for the suspension of support from some Western countries because of the accusation.
South Africa expects other countries to submit formal papers to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) intervening on South Africa's side in the case of whether Israel committed genocide in Gaza. Some countries have confirmed their intention to intervene, but South Africa will not name them until they announce their announcement. The ICJ registrar will call in South African and Israeli lawyers to outline the time frame for filing papers on the merits of the case. South Africa hopes that it will take no more than six months for both sides to file papers, but it may take only three months. The US has since re-emphasised President Joe Biden's strong belief in a ceasefire, stating that it is a temporary ceasefire for humanitarian purposes, not a permanent end. The US will work hard at a two-state solution. South Africa's Cabinet still needs to reflect on the closure of its embassy in Israel following a parliamentary resolution that the government should sever relations with Israel. South Africa had withdrawn its ambassador from Israel in 2018 and closed the embassy after the killings in Gaza.
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