South Africa honored the Palestinian plight, and the world was forced to listen

For a majority of us Palestinians, trust in any international body or organization has dwindled to nothing. We watched for the past three months as Israel waged and continues to wage a total war against everyone living in the besieged Gaza Strip. For three months, Palestinians have called time and time again for the international community to act and demand a ceasefire to end the indiscriminate bombing and destruction campaign against our homes, communities, schools, hospitals, and families to no avail. 

Over 23,000 are now killed, with 7,000 missing under the rubble, as we approach 100 days of this ongoing genocide, and Israel does not seem to be slowing down or altering its tactics to prevent the death of civilian life. 

While our commitment to justice and a free Palestine is unwavering and steadfast, the past three months have proven to be completely and utterly debilitating as we are unable to prevent death and destruction and instead are gaslit into believing we, in fact, deserve all this bloodshed.

Yet, today, as South Africa presented its case against Israel that it is, in fact, waging genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, something foundational changed within all of us who were watching.  

For the first time in history, in the International Court of Justice, Palestinians were able to hear a foreign government acknowledge the “ongoing Nakba through Israel’s colonization since 1948.” We heard a country acknowledge that Palestinians are, in fact, undergoing apartheid, occupation, and a siege, which they described as a “silent killer of people.” 

We witnessed the compelling and damning evidence, one after the other, of Israel committing crimes against humanity. From preventing food, water, and fuel from entering Gaza, to deliberately targeting residential buildings, schools, ambulances, and hospitals. 

South Africa established the foundations of genocidal intent and even presented photo and video footage of Israeli soldiers documenting their war crimes and celebrating the deaths of innocents and the destruction of whole neighborhoods. 

I sat there, shocked and emotional, not because I hadn’t been paying attention – quite on the contrary. I was shocked and emotional because, for the first time in history, the crimes committed against the Palestinian people have been laid bare for three hours uninterrupted by political pundits and biased media organizations. For the first time in history, the horrific words and actions of the Israeli state actors were reiterated and taken seriously. 

It was just last week when British talk news host Julia Hartley-Brewer interviewed Dr Mustafa Barghoti, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, and hurled offensive Islamophobic accusations at him for speaking on the Palestinian reality and refusing to allow her to mislead the public on what is taking place in Gaza. 

Brewer sat there frustrated and annoyed at Barghouti because, to him, Israel’s genocidal response was not an appropriate answer to what took place on October 7, and yet here was Brewer unsatisfied with the response. “What would have been an acceptable reaction?” she yelled at Barghouti because it is once again up to the Palestinians to also answer and make clear that killing 30,000 people is not a justifiable response for any state or entity. 

South Africa answered Brewer’s question today. Legal and political experts reaffirmed again and again that genocide is never justified in “war or peace times.” No matter what took place on October 7, a response that kills, bombs, and starves indiscriminately will always be a violation of international law. 

Today, we did not have a British news host interrupt, hurl insults, or repeat Israeli propaganda as we described the truth of what is taking place in Palestine. Instead, we had a nation that was a victim of apartheid themselves, acting on behalf of the Global South: people who are historically occupied, displaced, and oppressed. 

I live in Germany, and it is also astonishing to see how this case before the International Court of Justice debunks years of German attempts to whitewash Israeli crimes. German politicians routinely describe accusations of Israeli apartheid as being inherently antisemitic, which does a disservice to apartheid against Black South Africans, as many Israeli propagandists also claim. 

They can do so no longer, as Black South Africans proved to the world that they unequivocally stand with the Palestinian people, just as their first president, Nelson Mandela, intended. 

For the first time in history, formerly oppressed people are taking a stand in front of the international community and demanding accountability and action. And for the first time in history, Palestinians were able to breathe, only slightly, as we were not fed dishonest statements that never acknowledged the massive amounts of evidence of harm. 

What South Africa did today is stand up to all and every imperial power that hides behind empty claims of democracy and freedom while funding and supporting death and destruction. 

Of course, Palestinians are not naive. We know that the most likely scenario will be that Israel will not stop its genocidal campaign in Gaza. We know that these international bodies have failed in the past to prevent genocides and oppression from continuing. We know these courts are not void of extreme political pressure, and finally, we know that it will not make up for the horrors we have witnessed over the last three months. 

However, what the International Court of Justice might be able to achieve is presenting evidence uncandidly and live for the world to see. They can succeed in winning international public opinion and isolating Israel by forcing the media and political institutions to acknowledge and face the crimes that have taken place in Gaza since October 7. 

International law and justice have failed the Palestinian people, but it is not too late to join the call for a free Palestine- and now activists and grassroots groups around the world have the language and legal precedent to do so.