South Africa, Colombia to host emergency meeting on gaza genocide
The Hague Group convenes to discuss legal measures against Israel's actions in Palestine.
Image: Eyad BABA / AFP
South Africa and Colombia, the co-chairs of The Hague Group, have announced that they will host an emergency ministerial meeting in Bogota from 15 to 16 July.
This group is a coalition of nations, largely from the Global South, founded on January 31, 2025, to protect international law and hold Israel accountable for its acts in Palestine.
"The emergency meeting has been convened in response to Israel's ongoing and escalating violations of international law in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including the crime of genocide, and will focus on coordinated legal and diplomatic measures to bring them to an end," said the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco).
The discussion will focus on the legal responsibility of governments as stated by the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) of July 2024 to stop all actions that: "assist in the maintenance of the illegal situation created by Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory."
This is indicative of South Africa's political stance with the government's case against Israel in which the settler state is accused of breaking international law by continuing to occupy Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem and Gaza, where Israeli soldiers are said to have murdered over 52,000 civilians.
The country accuses Israel of violating human rights and international humanitarian law by expanding settlements, imposing mobility restrictions, and conducting military operations.
The UN Human Rights Council's latest March report condemned Israeli settlement development as 'a violation of international law and an obstacle to peace,' and urged Israel to halt such actions immediately.
"The ongoing destruction of Palestinian homes and the displacement of families constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said.
"Israel’s actions in the Palestinian territories constitute a blatant violation of international norms and human rights. We stand with South Africa in seeking justice."
Recently, the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) in KwaZulu-Natal condemned the Comrades Marathon Association's (CMA) decision to allow Israeli athletes to participate in the 2025 Comrades Marathon.
ANCYL provincial spokesperson, Sanele Hlongwa, described the move as a profound sense of betrayal.
"This decision stands in stark contradiction to South Africa's principled stance on international justice and solidarity, especially about the ongoing oppression of the Palestinian people under occupation and apartheid," Hlongwa said.
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