07/01/2024
Canada must be pushed to support South Africa's application to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for its case that Israel is committing Genocide on Palestinian people, violating the 1948 Genocide Convention. The application:https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/192/192-20231228-app-01-00-en.pdf
Without substantial pressure, Canada will likely side with Israel (and continuing genocide). There is already a petition circulating to call on the to support South Africa's application: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/ndp-should-oppose-genocide?source=direct_link&.
This January 11 and 12, the ICJ will hold a hearing to determine whether to issue a provisional order against Israel, "calling upon Israel immediately to halt all military attacks that constitute or give rise to violations of the Genocide Convention" until the actual case is heard, which may take years. South Africa requested this provisional order due to the urgency of the situation, documented in detail in the application. Such a provisional order DOES NOT determine whether the crime of genocide has been proven, will be issued to offset the risk of genocide in a strong case. There is a strong chance of the provisional order being issued in this case, according to many international law experts.
Israel is defending against the genocide claim, and placing pressure on countries, particularly its traditional allies, to support its position. The U.S., not surprisingly, has condemned SA's application, baselessly calling the application "meritless", of course without any actual reference to the detailed merits of the application.
An order from the IJC is binding, including a provisional order. While Israel has ignored international law as a matter of course, the fact that they've chosen to defend themselves - rather than just ignore the application or only condemn it publicly - demonstrates their concern. They are a signatory to the Genocide Convention, which essentially arose from the ashes of the Holocaust. Defying such an order would have enormous reputational damage to Israel.
In the coming days, as we get closer to the January 11 date of the provisional order hearing at the ICJ, there will be more calls to show support for South Africa's application and pressure the Canadian government to support it. Stay tuned.
