
In a statement on Sunday, South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, expressed concerns about the negative position taken by some US legislators regarding South Africa.
This criticism follows South Africa’s initiation of a genocide trial against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Minister Pandor shared these remarks on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey, highlighting the impact of the US stance on investment and employment in South Africa.
Minister Pandor emphasized the need to continue lobbying the American people, stating that acting against South Africa in the pursuit of a “moral and correct issue in the global space” would be entirely wrong. She pointed out the potential repercussions on the South African economy, given the United States’ status as the world’s largest economy.
The genesis of the diplomatic tension lies in South Africa filing a case against Israel at the ICJ in late 2023, accusing Israel of not upholding its commitments under the 1948 Genocide Convention. The UN court’s interim ruling on January 26 deemed South Africa’s claims plausible, ordering provisional measures for Israel to prevent genocidal acts and facilitate humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.
Minister Pandor defended South Africa’s right to pursue the case, asserting the country’s sovereignty. Despite facing dissent from some nations regarding its support for Palestine, she affirmed South Africa’s unwavering commitment to the Palestinian cause.
Responding to queries about Israel’s compliance with the ICJ’s provisional measures, Minister Pandor noted that Israel had not applied them. Drawing parallels with the apartheid era, she highlighted similarities in the conduct and approach of the apartheid state and the Israeli government in rejecting international rulings.
Apartheid, an institutionalized system of racial segregation in South Africa from 1948 to the early 1990s, served as a historical reference in Minister Pandor’s comments on the current diplomatic situation.