Belgium to fully support South Africa’s genocide case against Israel: Minister

A Belgian minister has pledged her country’s backing for the case filed by South Africa with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) seeking to halt Israel’s genocidal campaign in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Caroline Gennez, Belgium’s minister of development cooperation, made the call in a series of social media posts over the weekend.

“If the International Court of Justice calls on #Israel to cease its military campaign in #Gaza, our country will fully support it.” she said in a post on X on Sunday.  

She noted that Belgium’s position was a “step in the right direction.”

“Our country is taking its responsibility, for human rights and humanitarian law. Meanwhile, I remain committed at all levels to making full humanitarian access to #Gaza a reality as soon as possible.”

Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Petra De Sutter “also recently made a similar call and said her country could not remain silent against Israel’s threat of genocide in Gaza and urged support for the lawsuit filed by South Africa.”

“Belgium cannot just watch from the sidelines the endless suffering of the people in Gaza. We must act against the threat of genocide.

“I want Belgium to follow South Africa’s lead and take action at the International Court of Justice. I will make this proposal to the Belgian government.”

South Africa filed the lawsuit against Israel at the end of December, after nearly three months of Israeli aggression against Palestinians in Gaza.

The lawsuit said Israel’s actions are “genocidal in character because they are intended to bring about the destruction of a substantial part of the Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group.”

The application also said Israeli attacks breach the UN’s Genocide Convention, and urged the court to “order Israel to cease killing and causing serious mental and bodily harm to Palestinian people in Gaza.”

South Africa has been one of the outspoken critics of Israeli’s ongoing onslaught against Palestinians and has led some initiatives to hold Israel accountable for its actions in Gaza.

In November, the country referred Israel to the International Criminal Court, which is already investigating the occupied Palestinian territories.

In the same month, the country’s lawmakers voted in favor of closing down the Israeli embassy in Pretoria and suspending all diplomatic relations until the onslaught stops.