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Middle East conflict

South Africa’s Gaza genocide case against Israel exposes Europe’s weakness — media

Experts interviewed by Politico say that the European Union "is so divided" that "it is useless as a power broker"

BRUSSELS, January 11. /TASS/. The Gaza genocide case against Israel that South Africa has brought before the Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ), a United Nations body, exposes Europe’s weakness, Politico writes.

According to the media outlet, South Africa’s case against Israel, which was filed in Europe, lays bare divisions within the EU as "it struggles to find common ground on Israel’s current operations in Gaza."

Experts interviewed by Politico say that the European Union "is so divided" that "it is useless as a power broker." An anonymous French diplomat told the news outlet that EU countries "are in a state of settling for less, not doing too much, we’re watching the US and then taking a view."

According to former US Ambassador to the European Union Anthony Gardner, even if the EU pulls itself together to work out a common position on the Gaza issue, "it would still be on the margins" in terms of resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict because the US and regional players are the only ones that can have an impact on the situation on the ground. "Europe is mostly just not a player in this conflict and it is struggling with that reality," Gardner added.

South Africa brought the case over Israel’s possible violation of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide to the International Court of Justice on December 29, 2023. The case files say that the Israeli authorities’ actions can be described as an act of genocide because they are based on the specific intent "to destroy Palestinians in Gaza as a part of the broader Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group." South Africa is seeking a court ruling that Israel is in violation of its obligations under the Genocide Convention and must end all military operations in the Gaza Strip and also pay reparations. The first hearing in the case is scheduled for January 11-12.

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Middle East conflict

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