Brazil and Colombia are promoting South Africa’s complaint to Latin America against Israel for the massacre in Gaza.

The governments of Brazil and Colombia have joined countries diplomatically supporting the genocide complaint that South Africa filed at the end of the year against Israel over the Gaza war, where 23,000 Palestinians have already died. , i.e. 1% of the enclave. population. Both officials announced their diplomatic support for the work…

The governments of Brazil and Colombia have joined countries diplomatically supporting the genocide complaint that South Africa filed at the end of the year against Israel over the Gaza war, where 23,000 Palestinians have already died. , i.e. 1% of the enclave. population. The two officials announced their diplomatic support for the initiative, just hours before the start of the hearing in The Hague this Thursday, in which the UN’s highest court will begin analyzing South Africa’s request to take immediate precautionary measures, including a cessation of hostilities. Is done. Pretoria accused “the highest levels of the Israeli government” of inciting genocide in Gaza with phrases such as “wipe Gaza off the face of the earth”.

In its statement, Brasília said that “in light of gross violations of international humanitarian law, the President (Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva) expressed his support for South Africa’s initiative to call on the International Court of Justice to immediately stop all acts of terrorism against Israel.” Asked to order the taking of and such measures which may constitute genocide or a related crime under the terms of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.”

In addition to Brazil and Colombia, Pretoria’s initiative to approach this court, which judges states, not people, has drawn other support in the global South. Bolivia, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba have also joined the Latin American countries. From the rest of the world, Jordan, Turkey, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Pakistan and the Maldives, the Arab League (which brings together 22 countries that share that language) and the Organization of Islamic Countries.

For Colombia, the complaint before the UN court is “a bold step in the right direction”. His Foreign Ministry says “it is very clear that the actions and measures adopted by the Government of Israel are acts of genocide,” according to a Foreign Affairs note that President Gustavo Petro also circulated on his social networks. Bogota has urged the court to rule quickly once the hearings conclude and to make decisions that “will stop the bloodshed in Gaza and the occupied territories.”

The Brazilian Foreign Ministry reminded in its note that it immediately condemned “the terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas on October 7” and reiterated that “such acts are an indictment of the indiscriminate, repeated and disproportionate use of force by Israel against civilians. “does not justify.” The decision to support the South African complaint was announced after President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva met with Palestinian Ambassador to Brasília Ibrahim Alzeben.

In the statement, Brasília summarized the effects of the Israeli attack in a handful of data. It underlines that of the 23,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza in these three months, 70% “are women and children” and that another “7,000 people are missing” under the debris. Also that “80% of the population is subject to forced transfer” and “and health, water, energy and food supply systems have collapsed, characteristic of collective punishment.”

For Bolivia, South Africa’s move to go to international courts is “a historic step in defense of the Palestinian people” and an “effort that must be accompanied by the international community that demands respect for life,” the note said. . Chancellor.

The International Court of Justice is now analyzing whether to order precautionary measures, as requested by South Africa, to prevent alleged genocide. You will learn the merits of the complaint later and the case may take years. The court has no punitive means to ensure that its sentence is carried out.

On October 7, an attack by Hamas militiamen in Israel killed 1,200 people. As the Israeli government’s military response has intensified and victims in Gaza have increased, movements before international courts have multiplied. Last November, South Africa, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Comoros and Djibouti submitted a request to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which hears people, to investigate the situation in Palestine.

Chile, the country where the largest community of Palestinian origin lives outside the Arab world, also intends to go to the International Criminal Court, as its ambassador to the United Nations announced to the General Assembly on Tuesday: “Chile will immediately present the referral. CARA ambassador, socialist Paula Narváez, said, “The situation in Palestine has requested the ICC Prosecutor’s Office to investigate international crimes committed in the occupied Palestinian territories, which we hope will lead to other countries also joining President Gabriel Boric pointed out, “Chile is not indifferent to the pain of the Palestinian people.” He explained why his country would go to the ICC. In parallel, the government attended the UN court hearing in The Hague on precautionary measures in the genocide case. Has sent its ambassador to the Netherlands to follow up which will continue this Friday.

The Palestinian issue is one that the Colombian president is most passionate about, closely following the escalation of the conflict and frequently sharing his opinions through his X account. In recent months, Petro announced the opening of an embassy in Palestine, summoned its ambassador to Israel for consultations, supported a complaint for crimes against humanity that Algeria submitted to the International Criminal Court, and said that The United Nations should accept Palestine as a full member.

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