PRESIDENT MICHAEL D Higgins has discussed South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice with his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa.
In January, South Africa submitted a case to the UN’s top court accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
In a ruling on 26 January, the ICJ ruled that Israel should do everything it could to prevent any acts of genocide in the Gaza Strip during its offensive.
In a statement from President Higgins’ office, it was noted that the two presidents discussed the current situation in Gaza and South Africa’s current case at the ICJ against Israel.
During the phonecall yesterday afternoon, President Higgins also noted the “strong statement” made by the Attorney General Rossa Fanning on behalf of Ireland on 22 February in a separate ICJ case.
That separate case regarded the legal consequences of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories since 1967, in particular the West Bank.
Fanning told the ICJ that “the scale and duration of [Israeli] settlement activity is such that its purpose can only be to permanently obstruct the exercise of the Palestinian people’s right to self determination”.
President Ramaphosa is said to have “welcomed the efforts being made by Ireland” in its discussions with other countries regarding the situation in Gaza, where over 31,000 people have been killed since 7 October.
Meanwhile, President Ramaphosa wished President Higgins well following his recent hospital stay and thanked President Higgins for the solidarity Ireland has shown with South Africa.
The two Presidents also discussed food security and President Ramaphosa expressed hope that there could be potential for further cooperation between the countries in education and in the science and technology areas.
Both Presidents were also said to have “placed a strong emphasis on equality in civil society, including the importance of LGBTQI+ issues”.
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