By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has delivered a forceful denunciation of Israel’s war on Gaza at the UN general debate in New York, calling on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to issue a ruling on genocide.
In his remarks, Ramaphosa pointed to a recent determination from an independent UN commission finding that Israel had committed genocide in the Palestinian territory.
Under Ramaphosa, in December 2023, South Africa had filed a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice accusing it of genocide. That case is ongoing.
“South Africa has acted in the interest of saving lives by insisting that the International Court of Justice should make a ruling that, indeed, genocide is being committed in Gaza and that it should stop,”Ramaphosa said.
“We have the ultimate responsibility to ensure and protect the rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination, “consistent with South Africa’s ICJ case against Israel, he said.
Last week, Brazil joined a growing list of countries that have sought to intervene in the case, including Colombia, Mexico, Spain, Türkiye, Chile, Ireland, and others.
The UN was established 80 years ago in the wake of the second world war and, through its charter, nations promised to uphold peace, development and human rights underpinned by international law.
“Therefore, as nations that have pledged to uphold the UN Charter, we have the ultimate responsibility to ensure and protect the rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination,” Ramaphosa said.
He spoke a day after participating in a high-level meeting to reaffirm international commitment to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to mobilise support for its implementation.
South Africa reiterates its firm commitment to the creation of a contiguous Palestinian state existing peacefully and side by side with the State of Israel, along the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital,” Ramaphosa said at that meeting.
“The viability of a two-state solution depends on full and universal respect for international law. It requires the immediate and full implementation of resolutions of the United Nations, as well as the Provisional Measures and Advisory Opinions of the International Court of Justice.
“All states, including the State of Israel, must comply with our collective obligations under international law.”
With the latest announcements, the number of UN members states that officially recognize the state of Palestine rose to 159 out of 193.
Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel has been carrying out a genocide in Gaza, which has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The military campaign has devastated the enclave and led to famine.
Ramaphosa also urged member states to fulfill the mandate of the UN in enabling better trade between nations and urgently addressing climate change, noting that while member states had adopted the sustainable development goals, “many of these goals remain elusive”.
“There are many reasons that hold many countries from fulfilling and implementing these development goals. Some of the reasons are lack of sufficient financial resources,” he said. This was especially true of developing countries, which were “indebted and paying more on debt servicing than they do on health and education”.
“Trade is one of the most important instruments to mobilise domestic resources for development. It is concerning that geopolitical shocks and unprecedented trade policy volatility are destabilising the global economy and jeopardising a critical source of development financing, “Ramaphosa said.
South Africa, among several other countries, is grappling with the negative economic impact of tariffs imposed by the US to protect its own producers. Ramaphosa reiterated the importance of the African Continental Free Trade Area in driving sustainable growth and development on the continent.
He said the Extraordinary Committee of Independent Experts on Global Wealth Inequality, launched under the auspices of South Africa’s G20 presidency, would support efforts to build more inclusive economies.
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Video Courtesy of Presidency.