In brief
In a statement to Anadolu Agency, former South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor requested the ICJ hold public hearings in its genocide case against Israel. She also pressed for stronger interim orders and warned of personal attacks following South Africa’s filing. The case, lodged in December 2023, has yet to reach a ruling, but provisional measures have been issued to safeguard Palestinians.
Former South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor today urged the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to conduct public hearings on the genocide case it has been considering against Israel, a move she said would allow the world to see whether alleged violations of the Genocide Convention stand up to legal scrutiny.
In her remarks to Anadolu Agency, Pandor said the ICJ has already held hearings on provisional measures designed to protect Palestinians in Gaza, yet no ruling on whether Israel has committed genocide has been issued. She called for stronger interim measures to ensure Israel prevents acts prohibited under the Genocide Convention and to secure urgently needed humanitarian aid for Gaza’s residents.
"We would like to have the case heard so that the world can adjudicate whether our contention that genocide is underway will be held up by legal scrutiny," Pandor told media.
She also warned that after South Africa filed the case in December 2023, she has faced personal attacks from media outlets critical of her stance. She received additional security protection while in office and said the criticism has risen to the level of being named in Zionist media as a tool of Iran or a Hamas sympathiser. She acknowledged that such insults are the "last refuge of a scoundrel."
Earlier this week, Pandor used the platform of the TRT World Forum to urge U.S. Congress to support a foreign‑policy shift focused on human rights. This appeal has only been reported by Anadolu Agency, with no corroboration from other outlets.
