Eduardo González
The second vice president of the Government and leader of Sumar, Yolanda Díaz, received yesterday the ambassador of South Africa, Sankie Mthembi-Mahanyele, to convey her support for her country’s initiative to take Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
“Today I had the pleasure of meeting with Sankie Mthembi-Mahanyele, ambassador of South Africa in our country,” declared the also Minister of Labor and Social Economy through her personal account on the social network X. “The South African initiative before the Court Justice International is an example for the world,” she continued. “We will continue to work for an immediate ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip, she added.
Sumar, a minority partner in the coalition government, has asked that the ICJ take the precautionary measures requested by South Africa in its complaint against Israel for genocide in Palestine. Pedro Sánchez’s Executive has not formally ruled on this complaint, which was defended on January 11 in the Court of The Hague by South Africa.
Sumar demands that the International Court of Justice, the main judicial body of the UN, order the adoption of precautionary measures, as requested by South Africa, so that a ceasefire can take place and for Israel to “stop killing and causing serious psychological and psychical harm on the Palestinian population of Gaza.” It also demands that the International Court of Justice urge Israel to stop “deliberately” imposing on Palestinians living conditions “calculated to bring about their physical destruction as a group” and to allow humanitarian aid access into Gaza.
South Africa accused Israel of “committing genocidal acts” against the Palestinians in the framework of the case presented before the International Court of Justice and affirmed that these acts “are systematic in application and form” in the military offensive launched against the Gaza Strip. In a statement, Israel called South Africa’s actions “one of the greatest displays of hypocrisy in history, compounded by a series of false and unfounded claims.” “South Africa intends to allow Hamas to repeat its war crimes, crimes against humanity and sexual crimes that it repeatedly committed on October 7, as its leaders have stated,” the statement said.
Sumar recognizes that, although the ICJ ruling would be “legally binding,” this body “does not have coercive means to enforce its verdicts.” Therefore, he points out, the only way out is to ask the UN Security Council to approve a resolution on the matter and warns the United States that, if it exercised its right to veto “to protect Israel,” it would be the first time that blocks a resolution of the International Court of Justice. The Security Council has scheduled a regular meeting for the 23rd of this month.
The deputy of Sumar and first secretary of the Congress Board, Gerardo Pisarello, and the leader of the commons, Ada Colau, traveled on January 11 to the doors of the Hague Court to participate in the ‘International Solidarity’ event , organized by the Progressive International, to support the South African initiative before the International Court of Justice. So did Podemos MEP Idoia Villanueva, who reiterated her party’s demand that Spain also join the demand promoted by South Africa.
