On Friday, German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit rebuffed South Africa’s accusations against Israel at the ICJ hearings, which took place in the Hague. He said in a post on X that Berlin “firmly rejects the accusation of genocide made against Israel. It has no basis whatsoever”.
He added that his country “will therefore speak as a third party in the main hearing before the International Court of Justice”.
Staunchly supporting Israel, Germany issued a statement stating that Israel “has been defending itself” against Hamas. The statement defines the South African case as a “political instrumentalisation” of the UN Genocide Convention, which it opposes.
South Africa has called upon the ICJ to take provisional measures against Israel, which includes an immediate halt to Israeli military activity in Gaza. Although the interim rulings are expected to be reached in the next few weeks, a final verdict is expected to take years.
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 