South Africa filed the case against Israel last month, accusing the Middle Eastern country of trying to “destroy the Palestinians in Gaza” and asking the UN Supreme Court to order Israel to end its offensive. Israel rejected South Africa's allegations of genocide and said it would defend itself in court.
South Africa's Justice Department said Corbyn was one of several “political figures from political parties and progressive movements around the world” who would join the South African delegation in The Hague, Netherlands, for two days of preliminary hearings starting on Thursday.
Corbyn was the only one of those international political figures in the delegation appointed by the South African government.
Corbyn's leadership of the British Labor Party has been tainted by accusations of anti-Semitism. He has always expressed his support for the Palestinian cause and has been a staunch critic of Israel. He was suspended from the party in 2020 after the equality watchdog found that party officials had committed acts of “harassment and discrimination” against Jews, adding that during his time at the helm he allowed anti-Jewish bias to spread within the party. .
Corbyn expressed support for the South African cause and criticized the British government in a letter published on X on Monday.
“Every day new, unspeakable atrocities are committed in Gaza,” he wrote. “Millions of people around the world support South Africa’s efforts to hold Israel accountable. Why not our government?”
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Britain supports Israel in its fight against Hamas in response to the group's attack on October 7, which killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians.
The Israeli attack on Gaza killed more than 23,000 Palestinians, equivalent to approximately 1% of the Strip's population, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. The number does not distinguish between combatants and civilians. About two-thirds of those killed were women and children.
fountain: News agency
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