South Africa has welcomed the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) adoption of a resolution calling for Israel to be held accountable for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Gaza Strip and demanding a halt to all arms sales to the country.
This is the first time that any top UN body has taken such a resolution since the conflict between Hamas and Israel escalated six-months ago.
The Geneva-based HRC is an intergovernmental body within the United Nations system made up of 47 States responsible for the promotion and protection of all human rights around the globe.
“South Africa welcomes the adoption by the Human Rights Council resolution on the Human Rights Situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the Obligation to Ensure Accountability and Justice by 28 votes in favour, 13 abstentions and eight votes against.
“The adoption of the resolution is historic as this is the very first time that the Human Rights Council has taken action on the unprecedented human tragedy taking place in Gaza, where at least 32,975 Palestinians have been killed, including more than 14,500 children, since Israel launched its onslaught over 180 days ago,” read a statement from the department of International Relations and Cooperation.
According to the department, the resolution emphasises the need to ensure that all those responsible for violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law are held to account.
The resolution also highlights the need to ensure the provision of an effective remedy for all victims and the need to pursue practical steps to ensure the prevention of future violations and international crimes.
The department says the resolution also recognise the order granted earlier this year by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, Netherlands.
“As part of this process, the resolution recognises the importance of the order issued by the International Court of Justice that indicated provisional measures in the case lodged by South Africa against Israel on the application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
South Africa believes that it is only through ensuring accountability and justice that the impunity accorded to Israel that has entrenched the ongoing unlawful occupation can finally be brought to an end,” added the statement.
Pretoria also called on Israel to respect and implement the ICJ’s orders, together with United Nations Security Council resolution demanding an immediate and lasting ceasefire, which the resolution will no doubt contribute to its securing.
“The international community can no longer choose to apply a parallel system of international law to Israel, nor can we be complicit in facilitating its actions.
For international law to be credible, it must be uniformly applied and serve the victims that it is designed to protect,” said South Africa’s Permanent Representative, Ambassador Mxolisi Nkosi, during the debate on the resolution.
