Two in Three Support South Africa’s Genocide Case Against Israel

South African lawyers present a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Israel of “genocidal intent” in its war on Gaza. Israel denies the accusations, stating that its actions in Gaza are justified as a response to the deadly attack carried out by Hamas.

Real Research, an online survey app, launched a survey on South Africa’s genocide case against Israel, and here are the results.

Highlights:

• 61.67% stated their support for South Africa’s genocidal case against Israel
• Israel has a genocidal intent towards Gaza, according to 44.63%.
• 55.95% believe Israel’s action in Gaza as a response to Hamas’ attacks is justified.

South Africa’s Genocide Case:

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) began hearings on Thursday regarding South Africa’s genocide case against Israel over its actions in the ongoing three-month war on Gaza. The case alleges that Israel has committed genocidal acts against Palestinians, resulting in the deaths of over 23,000 people, predominantly women and children.

The recent event of South Africa’s genocide case against Israel was well known to 62.47%, while 37.53% weren’t aware.

South Africa’s genocide case argues that Israel’s actions violate the Genocide Convention of 1948, established after the Holocaust, which mandates that all countries prevent the recurrence of such crimes.

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Adila Hassim, the South African lawyer at the ICJ, claimed Israel violated Article II of the convention through the “mass killing” of Palestinians in Gaza. Approximately 61.67% stated their agreement and support with South Africa’s claims against Israel, while 38.33% didn’t.

Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, another lawyer for South Africa, argued that Israel’s “genocidal intent” is evident in the manner in which the military attack on Gaza is being conducted. The opinion towards this statement differed, as 44.63% seemed to agree, stating that Israel has a genocidal intent toward Gaza, 33.88% weren’t sure, and 21.48% claimed the opposite.

Israel refuted the accusations, stating that its actions in Gaza are justified as a response to the deadly attacks carried out by Hamas on October 7. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “Israel is accused of genocide while it is fighting against genocide.” 55.95% seem to agree with Netanyahu and believe Israel’s action in Gaza as a response to Hamas’ attacks is justified, while the remaining 44.05% oppose.

South Africa has also asked the ICJ to order Israel to suspend its military attack on Gaza. Israel’s lawyers argued that it would be unfair for the court to order Israel to stop fighting in Gaza, while Hamas, which is not a party to the state-to-state proceedings, would be under no such order.

This statement also seems to reflect the majority opinion, as 56.7% agree with Israel’s arguments. However, 43.3% don’t share the same opinion.

South Africa’s genocide case didn’t reason with the United States, as they saw no justification for the allegations. 58.38% agreed with the White House national security spokesperson, who said, “They [Israel] are defending themselves against a still viable threat.” 41.62% didn’t agree with this statement.

The ICJ is the highest United Nations legal body that can adjudicate disputes between member states. Nevertheless, the ICJ’s orders aren’t enforceable. In 2022, the court ordered Russia to “immediately suspend military operations” in Ukraine, but the order was ignored. 54.13% were hopeful and claimed that the ICJ could address and resolve the conflicts between Israel and Gaza, while 45.87% didn’t agree.