SAJBD response to the ICJ ruling at the Hague

26 January 2024

The SAJBD welcomes the International Criminal Justice’s (ICJ) recognition of Israel’s right to defend its citizens by denying the ANC Government’s request for a ceasefire.

This court was never asked to determine the merits of the charge of genocide.  It was only asked to provide interim measures, two of which were granted. 

The court’s call for the hostages to be freed is a fundamental requirement for the end of the conflict. It is regrettable that the SA Government did not put pressure on Hamas to release the hostages from the outset, which would have averted such terrible loss of life.

We are saddened by our government not playing a more constructive role in engaging both sides, as they have in every other conflict to help to bring an actual end to this war.

We continue to mourn the tragic loss of life on both sides and support the continued facilitation of humanitarian assistance to alleviate the suffering of innocents caught up in Hamas’s war.

Issued by Karen Milner, National Chairperson, SAJBD, 26 January 2024