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South Africa Wants Israel Declared “Apartheid State”

South Africa is seeking to have Israel declared an "apartheid state" and has appealed to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to order Israel to withdraw from Rafah, which straddles the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.

Pretoria's foreign minister, Naledi Pandor, said she would like to see practical strategies adopted for the Palestinian cause at the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the ICJ, to declare Israel an "apartheid state" and to mobilize civil society, both in Palestine and internationally, in support of the Palestinian cause.

Global Anti-Apartheid Conference

At the first global anti-apartheid conference on Palestine, held in Johannesburg, Naledi Pandor challenged the international community, the United Nations and civil society to take action against Israel's settler colonial apartheid regime.

She made a series of recommendations, including that third-party states take steps toward the complete decolonization of Palestine. Pandor emphasized the importance of dismantling all structures of domination, exploitation, and oppression, as well as realizing the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including self-determination and the return to their homes, lands, and properties.

A Fair and Comprehensive Resolution

According to the South African official, the only way to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East is through a comprehensive and negotiated agreement, without preconditions, to end the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and the continued blockade and siege of Gaza.

The South African government has filed an urgent request with the ICJ in The Hague for new measures against Israel due to the situation in Rafah, on the southern border of the Gaza Strip with Egypt. Pretoria claims that the provisional measures previously announced by the court fail to fully address the new circumstances and facts supporting the request.

According to the tribunal, South Africa argues that the situation provoked by the Israeli attack on Rafah and the extreme risk it poses to humanitarian supplies and basic services in Gaza, as well as to the survival of the Palestinian medical system and Palestinians in Gaza as a group.

The current situation is not only an escalation of the prevailing situation, but also causes irreparable harm to the rights of the Palestinian people in Gaza. Since December of last year, Pretoria has been requesting additional measures from the UN Tribunal, accusing Israel of perpetrating genocide in Gaza.