Belgium Urged to Join South Africa in Gaza Genocide Case
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Belgium's Deputy Prime Minister Petra De Sutter has thrown her weight behind South Africa's legal action against Israel, saying that Belgium cannot remain silent in the face of the genocide threat in Gaza.
"We must take action against the threat of genocide," she emphasized.
De Sutter expressed her intention for Belgium to follow South Africa's lead at the International Court of Justice. She vowed to propose this within the Belgian government.
Previously advocating for a boycott of Israel, De Sutter condemned the relentless bombings in Gaza, stressing Israel's disregard for international calls for a ceasefire.
Highlighting the deaths of children in Gaza, she urged the Belgian government to impose trade sanctions on Israel.
South Africa filed a lawsuit on December 29, claiming that Israel's violation of the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the crime of genocide in Gaza since October 7 and seeking an injunction.
Former UK opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn will also join a South African delegation at the International Court of Justice to support the accusation of Israel committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
Corbyn, recognized as a longtime supporter of the Palestinian cause and a vocal critic of Israel, will be among several political figures joining the South African delegation in The Hague.
UN special rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Balakrishnan Rajagopal, suggested that the ICJ should also consider the extensive damage to buildings in Gaza as evidence of Israeli genocide.
He highlighted statistics from the Decentralised Damage Mapping Group, indicating significant destruction of buildings in the Gaza Strip and northern Gaza.
The ICJ will commence the initial hearing in South Africa's genocide case against Israel, as various countries and organizations globally support the move for a ceasefire and back South Africa's legal action against Israel at the international level.
Several nations, including Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, and Morocco from the Organization of Islamic Countries, Malaysia, Turkey, Jordan, Bolivia, the Maldives, Namibia, and Pakistan, have supported South Africa's case against Israel at the ICJ. Additionally, various global advocacy and civil society groups like Terreiro Pindorama in Brazil and Collectif Judeo Arabe et Citoyen pour la Palestine in France have also endorsed South Africa's initiative.
