WASHINGTON – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke on Jan 25 with South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor about the war in Gaza, a day ahead of a ruling at the World Court on urgent measures in a case in which Israel is accused of genocide.
Why it is important
UN judges on Jan 26 will rule on South Africa’s request for emergency measures against Israel, which is accused at the International Court of Justice of state-led genocide for its military operation in Gaza.
Jan 26’s ruling will not deal with the core accusation of the case – whether genocide occurred – but will focus on the urgent intervention sought by South Africa.
Key quotes
In a call on Jan 25, Mr Blinken reaffirmed US support “for Israel’s right to ensure the terrorist attacks of Oct 7 can never be repeated”, the US State Department said in a statement.
Mr Blinken and Dr Pandor also discussed the need to protect civilian lives in Gaza, and ensure regional peace that “advances the establishment of an independent Palestinian state”, according to the State Department. It added the two also reaffirmed US-South Africa bilateral ties.
Context
South Africa has requested an immediate halt to Israel’s military operation, which has laid waste to much of the enclave and killed more than 25,000 people or over 1 per cent of Gaza’s 2.3 million population, according to the local health authorities.
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