During a visit by a delegation led by the Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD), which included representatives of its Global Network of the Question of Palestine (GNQP), Jordan NGOs Forum – JONAF, Al-Nahda Women Network, and private sector partners to the South African Embassy in Jordan, ARDD conveyed its profound appreciation for the South African government’s courageous stance in seeking accountability and justice.

The delegation commended South Africa’s decisive action through the lawsuit filed against Israel before the International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, on December 29, 2023. This legal initiative addresses Israel’s alleged violations of its obligations under the Genocide Convention about Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

South African Ambassador Tselane Mokuena warmly welcomed the visit, commending Jordan’s unwavering commitment to the Question of Palestine. She also shed light on Jordan’s humanitarian stance and the enduring friendship between the two nations, noting that Jordan was among the first countries to grant South African citizens visa-free entry, Regarding the case in the International Court of Justice, Mokuena conveyed her confidence in the fairness of the legal proceedings and emphasized South Africa’s determination to expedite a decision for an immediate cessation of hostilities.

ARDD Chief Executive Director Samar Muhareb commended South Africa’s historic and honorable stand with the Palestinian people, echoing the aspirations of the people of the region. She also shed light on Jordan’s steadfast support for the cause and its solidarity with the Palestinian people. She also commended the efforts that eventually culminated in South Africa filing its case at the ICJ and South Africa and other states previously referring the situation in Palestine since the start of the current war to the International Criminal Court. In addition, as part of the same collaborative effort, cases have been submitted in national courts in the Netherlands, Norway, the UK, and the USA. Muhareb called on the governments of the region and the international community to actively demonstrate their support for this case.

The delegate also discussed the efforts exerted by ARDD and its Global Network on the Question of Palestine (GNQP), both collectively and through its 100+ individual and institutional members, which have intensively participated in political and legal “track two” efforts toward pursuing accountability and justice in relation to the war in Gaza and the rapidly deteriorating situation in the West Bank. This has included the establishment of working groups on genocide and forced displacement which was established by the Al-Haq Foundation which has also taken the lead, in close cooperation with Palestine, in lobbying the States party to the Genocide Convention to take the genocide in Gaza to the ICJ, the ICC as well as national courts. Another example of GNQP member efforts is the creation of a database with over 500 statements of senior Israeli officials expressing so-called genocidal intent with respect to Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza by Law 4 Palestine.

This collaborative effort of other non-state actors, NGOs, academia, and civil society, including ARDD and the GNQP, is now focusing on encouraging other States to join the ICJ case and/or issue statements of support and/or endorsement. ARDD along with L4P has also been instrumental in setting up a working group to coordinate legal action in national courts to further pursue accountability and justice.

In a sign of the gravity and urgency by which the ICJ considers the case, it scheduled the first hearings on 11 and 12 January, less than two weeks after the case’s submission. These first hearings, which will be live-streamed, will deal with South Africa’s request for provisional measures to put an immediate stop to Israel’s genocidal actions in Gaza pending the consideration of the full merits of the case at a later stage.

It is expected that the ICJ will order provisional measures against Israel within several weeks, as it has done in other similar cases. Such measures are likely to include a (binding) order to Israel to cease all activities that might constitute genocide and to all other parties to the Genocide Convention to cease support for Israel’s ongoing war on the Palestinians.