Namibia condemns Germany for defending Israel in ICJ genocide case | News

The Namibia presidency slams Germany for failing to attract classes from its personal genocide in opposition to Namibia individuals within the early twentieth century.

Namibia has criticised Germany’s “stunning choice” to assist Israel within the genocide case on the Worldwide Court docket of Justice (ICJ) introduced by South Africa, as Israel’s conflict on Gaza entered its a hundredth day.

“Germany has chosen to defend within the ICJ the genocidal and ugly acts of the Israeli authorities in opposition to harmless civilians in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian Territories,” the president of Namibia, Hage Geingob, stated in a press release on X on Saturday.

A two-day public listening to within the case on the World Court docket – the very best authorized physique of the United Nations – came about on Thursday and Friday throughout which South Africa and Israel introduced their arguments.

South Africa told the court on Thursday that Israel’s aerial and floor offensive – which has laid waste to a lot of the enclave and killed virtually 24,000 individuals, in keeping with Gaza well being authorities – aimed to result in “the destruction of the inhabitants” of Gaza.

Israel accused South Africa of presenting a “distorted” view of the hostilities, denying that its army operation in Gaza is a state-led genocide marketing campaign in opposition to Palestinians.

The assertion by the Namibian presidency added that Berlin was ignoring Israel’s killing of practically 24,000 Palestinians in Gaza and varied United Nations reviews disturbingly highlighting the inner displacement of 85 % of the besieged enclave’s 2.3 million individuals amid acute shortages of meals and important companies.

The Namibian president expressed “deep concern” over “the stunning choice” communicated by the federal government of Germany on Friday, wherein “it rejected the morally upright indictment” introduced ahead by South Africa.

“No peace-loving human being can ignore the carnage waged in opposition to Palestinians in Gaza,” it stated.

The assertion claimed that Germany dedicated the primary genocide of the twentieth century in Namibia between 1904 and 1908, wherein tens of 1000’s of harmless Namibians died in essentially the most inhumane and brutal circumstances.

“Germany can not morally categorical dedication to the United Nations Conference in opposition to genocide, together with atonement for the genocide in Namibia, while supporting the equal of a holocaust and genocide in Gaza,” the presidency stated.

“President Geingob appeals to the German authorities to rethink its premature choice to intervene as a third-party in defence and assist of the genocidal acts of Israel earlier than the ICJ.”

Atrocities in Namibia

German colonial forces carried out atrocities in Namibia in opposition to the Indigenous Herero and Nama peoples between 1904 and 1908.

The killings have been a part of a German marketing campaign of collective punishment between 1904 and 1908 that’s at this time recognised because the twentieth century’s first genocide.

The ICJ is more likely to current a provisional measure within the coming days however a remaining verdict will take years. South Africa has urged the courtroom to order a direct halt to Israel’s devastating army offensive in Gaza.

The 1948 Genocide Conference, enacted within the wake of the mass homicide of Jews within the Nazi Holocaust, defines genocide as “acts dedicated with intent to destroy, in complete or partly, a nationwide, ethnical, racial or spiritual group”.

South Africa filed the ICJ case on December 19, accusing Israel of genocidal acts in Gaza.

A number of international locations and worldwide organisations have backed South Africa in its case, whereas Israel has obtained the backing of the USA, its major weapons provider and shut ally.

A number of international entities, together with Human Rights Watch, have decided that Israel is partaking in conflict crimes in Gaza.