President of South Africa: Israel must abide by the decision of the Court of Justice

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday praised the ruling by the International Court of Justice imposing emergency measures on Israel over the war in Gaza as a step towards justice, adding that he expected Israel to abide by the ruling.

The court ordered Israel to take all measures within its power to prevent its forces from committing acts of genocide, impose punitive measures for acts of incitement, and take steps to improve the humanitarian situation at a time when it is waging war on the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip.

However, the court stopped short of calling for a ceasefire and did not rule on the genocide in Gaza, which was the focus of the lawsuit brought by South Africa, and it may take years to issue such a ruling.

We in South Africa will not stand as passive spectators and watch the crimes that were being committed against us happen in other places,” Ramaphosa said in an address to the nation, referring to the violations that were being committed against blacks in South Africa under the apartheid regime.

He added, "We expect Israel, as a country that describes itself as democratic and respects the rule of law, to adhere to these measures."

Filing this lawsuit before the International Court of Justice represents a major diplomatic victory for South Africa, which has always defended the Palestinian cause and likened the suffering of the Palestinians to the persecution its people were subjected to under the apartheid regime, a comparison that Israel strongly rejects.