This is an entry from: Israel-Palestine live: Israel’s response to South Africa’s genocide case at the ICJ ends
South Africa justice minister: ‘no justification for breaches of the genocide convention’
11 January 2024 13:14 GMT
Speaking in court on Thursday, South Africa's Justice Minister Ronald Lamola said that no attack "can provide justification for or defend breaches of the [Genocide] Convention".
Israel is a signatory to the Genocide Convention of 1948, which defines genocide and commits states to prevent it.
The comments were echoed by British lawyer Vaughan Lowe, who spoke for the South African prosecution, saying: “No matter how monstrous or appalling an attack or provocation, genocide is never a permitted response."
He added that South Africa believes that evidence shows that the Israeli government is “intent on destroying the Palestinians in Gaza as a group, and is doing nothing to punish the actions of others who support that claim”.