Justice minister Ronald Lamola will represent SA at a high-level conference in Jordan on “the urgent humanitarian response” needed in Gaza hosted by the Jordanian and Egyptian leaders as well UN secretary-general António Guterres.
Lamola will meet heads of state on Tuesday. International humanitarian and relief agencies are also expected to attend.
The meeting comes off Israel’s recent offensive in Rafah, regarded by many as the last refuge of 1.5-million Palestinians in Gaza. Various countries have condemned Israel for its offensive and the reported deaths of more than 30,000 Palestinians, including children, foreign aid workers and journalists.
Israel says it has a right to defend itself after an attack in October 2023 resulting in more than a thousand Israelis deaths and hundreds taken as hostages by Hamas. It says it is targeting Hamas militants, not civilians.
The meeting on Tuesday seeks to address “the minimum requirements” needed “for sufficient supplies of humanitarian assistance [to] reach into and throughout Gaza”.
This follows a 2023 UN Security Council resolution, adopted by 13 out of 15 council members, calling for the opening of all crossings into Gaza for aid.
Egypt, which controls the only crossing into Rafah and is critical for aid distribution in Gaza, said last week the Rafah border is inoperable unless Israel gives control back to Palestinians. Israel has denied it controls the border.
The meeting follows SA’s recent successful challenge to Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). SA argued Israel has violated the Genocide Convention in its killing of Palestinian civilians since October 2023 and, in January, urgently obtained interim measures to de-escalate the situation in Gaza.
SA will make its full case on genocide at the ICJ later this year.
In May, SA returned to the ICJ, arguing that Israel had violated previous ICJ orders by beginning its military offensive in Rafah. A near unanimous court agreed, ordering Israel to effectively cease military operations in Rafah.
However, two days after the order, an Israel military operation killed dozens in a refugee camp. Israel, which was widely condemned by the international community, apologised and said it was investigating.
Since the May ICJ order, more countries have recognised Palestine as a state. In June, 144 of the 193 UN member states recognised Palestine. This includes Ireland and Spain earlier this month, which also intend joining SA in its case against Israel later this year.
Egypt, one of the hosts of the meeting, said it would join SA. More than 13 countries have applied or indicated their intention to apply to join SA’s case, including Belgium, Turkey and Mexico. Palestine itself also filed papers last week at the court.
On Monday, international relations minister Naledi Pandor, speaking at a Brics meeting, noted the May ICJ orders “affirm the importance of global governance institutions including organs of the UN”. She called on “all member states to respect and implement the decisions of the court”.
