MK Ofer Cassif (Hadash) announced on Sunday that he would be joining the lawsuit against Israel in the Hague. In his announcement, he claimed, “My constitutional duty is to Israeli society and all its residents, not to a government whose members and its coalition are calling for ethnic cleansing and even actual genocide.” Immediately afterward, he stated, “Those who hurt the country and the people are the ones who led South Africa to turn to The Hague, not me and my friends.”

Palestinians in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, perform on Sunday funeral prayers for the victims of the ongoing Israeli war in Gaza, January 7, 2023 (Photo: WAFA)

“I will not give up the struggle for our existence as a moral society. That is true patriotism – not wars of revenge and calls for destruction, not unnecessary bloodshed, and not the sacrifice of civilians and soldiers in futile wars,” Cassif concluded.

Cassif is one of more than 400 Israelis who are signing onto a petition of support for South Africa’s case. In the petition, they say they wish to “add our voice as citizens of Israel to the claims…that South Africa submitted to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, in the hope that our voice will help reach a decision that will bring an immediate end to the war.” A far-right organization, Btsalmo (In His Image), called for the ethics committee to remove Cassif from the Knesset after he announced he would join the lawsuit in the Hague.

On Monday, Bolivia has become the latest country to announce it is supporting South Africa’s application to the International Court of Justice, which accuses Israel of crimes of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. Bolivia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that it was joining the case as a signatory to the Genocide Convention “committed to peace and justice.” Turkey and Malaysia have also announced support for the case.

“South Africa took a historic step in the defense of the Palestinian people,” Bolivia’s statement added. The statement also noted that Bolivia, together with South Africa, Bangladesh, Comoros and Djibouti, presented a request to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) – a separate international court that prosecutes individuals – to investigate the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories on November 17.

Between the afternoons of 5 and 7 January, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, 225 Palestinians were reported killed, and another 296 people were reported injured. Overall, between 7 October and 12:00 on January 7, at least 22,835 Palestinians were killed in Gaza, according to the ministry in Gaza. About 70 per cent of those killed are said to be women and children. During the same period, 58,416 Palestinians were reportedly injured. 

Related: https://maki.org.il/en/?p=31490