'S. AFRICA NOT FREE TILL PALESTINE IS' - JUSTICE MINISTER

South Africa’s justice minister has channelled his nation’s founding father Nelson Mandela - saying that his country will be free only when Palestine is free.

South Africa has won international praise for prosecuting Israel for genocide in Gaza at the International Court for Justice. Ronald Lamola is part of the team that presented Pretoria’s historic case in the Netherlands on January 11th.

South Africa believes it has enough evidence to demonstrate genocidal intent on the part of the Israeli leadership, as well as genocidal war crimes by Israeli forces in Gaza. Tel Aviv insists its war is intended only to eliminate the militant Hamas network.

Both Israel and South Africa are signatories to the 1948 Genocide Convention, which defines genocide as "acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group."

Pretoria is urging the ICJ to order an emergency halt to Israel’s campaign - but many across the world hope the case will be a watershed that sees Israel and its Western enablers brought to book for their atrocities against Palestinians.