DIRCO expects to be contacted soon to take forward genocide case against Israel
Director-General Zane Dangor said the court registrar is expected to call in both parties in the coming days to outline a time frame to file court papers on the main case.
- Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO)
- Israel Hamas conflict
- International Court of Justice (ICJ)
International Relations Minister Naledi Pandor (left) and Director-General Zane Dangor (right) at a media briefing on 31 January 2024. Picture: @DIRCO_ZA/X
CAPE TOWN - The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) said it expected to be contacted soon to take forward its genocide case against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
While the court found last week that South Africa had made a plausible case that the rights of Palestinians in Gaza were not being protected, the merits are yet to be argued.
Director-General Zane Dangor said the court registrar is expected to call in both parties in the coming days to outline a time frame to file court papers on the main case.
Last Friday, the court issued provisional measures aimed at preserving Palestinian lives and allowing for more humanitarian aid.
"We are hoping that the time frames will not be longer than six months but we possibly will be able to do a memorial within three months as South Africa. The legal team feels that’s the timeframe they’re looking at."
This will, however, only be the first step in a protracted process that could take several years.
Two years on, the same court is still to determine whether Russia is committing genocide in Ukraine.