October 15, 2025 | 10:18 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - South African President Cyril Ramaphosa emphasized on Tuesday that the recently welcomed peace agreement regarding Gaza will not impact the country's ongoing genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Ramaphosa made the statement while addressing questions at the National Council of Provinces in the South African Parliament in Cape Town.
"The peace deal… will have no bearing on the case that is before the International Court of Justice," Ramaphosa told the council, as quoted by Africanews. "The case is proceeding, and it now has to go to the stage where Israel has to respond to our pleadings that have been filed in the court, and they have to do so by January of next year."
While South Africa welcomes the initial phase of the peace agreement, including the ceasefire and the release of Israeli and Palestinian prisoners, Ramaphosa stressed that true justice must be upheld for the Palestinian people.
"We cannot go forward without the healing that needs to take place, which will also result from the case that has been launched being properly heard," Ramaphosa said.
South Africa filed its application with the ICJ in December 2023, requesting a judgment to compel Israel to cease its military operations in Palestine and declare these actions as genocide. In response, the ICJ issued interim policies in January and March 2024, ordering Israel to ensure the immediate provision of basic supplies in Gaza.
Ramaphosa noted that as a party to the legal proceedings, South Africa lacks the authority to force the court to expedite the judgment, even though Israel continues to violate several of the ICJ's interim orders.
However, he emphasized that international efforts remain focused on halting Israel's actions in Gaza and ensuring accountability for atrocities committed against the Palestinian people. South Africa also co-chairs The Hague Group, a coalition formed in January 2025 to pursue legal, diplomatic, and economic measures outside the formal ICJ process.
"These processes are taking place at the United Nations through The Hague Group, which is a global bloc of states committed to defending international law and acting in solidarity with the people of Palestine," Ramaphosa said.
He concluded that the South African Government remains committed to using all available legal and diplomatic channels to protect the Palestinian people and uphold the rule of law.
Other global figures echoed the sentiment that the ceasefire should not lead to impunity. UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that Peace without justice… is not sustainable."
Similarly, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez stated, "The main actors of the genocide will have to answer to justice."
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the UN investigative commission have accused Israel of committing genocide, an allegation Israel denies.
Countries supporting South Africa's ICJ case include Spain, Ireland, Turkey, and Colombia, whose president, Gustavo Petro, has issued warnings regarding the potential involvement of international governments for failing to act.
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