The Liberal government says it has “unwavering” support for the International Court of Justice (ICJ), but that doesn’t mean it accepts the premise of South Africa’s genocide accusation against Israel.
“Canada’s unwavering support for international law and the ICJ does not mean we accept the premise of the case brought by South Africa,” she said.
“We will follow the proceedings of South Africa’s case at the International Court of Justice very closely. Under the UN’s 1948 Genocide Convention, the crime of genocide requires the intention to destroy or partly destroy a group because of their nationality, ethnicity, race or religion. Meeting this high threshold requires compelling evidence.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at a Jan. 12 press conference in Guelph, Ont., press conference that while his administration values the ICJ as a significant entity for upholding international law, this does not imply an endorsement of the allegations of genocide lodged by South Africa against Israel.
“Our wholehearted support of the ICJ and its processes does not mean that we support the premise of the case brought forward by South Africa. We will continue to follow closely,” he said.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has criticized Mr. Trudeau for what he has described as inconsistent messaging regarding Israel and called the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas “genocidal.”
“We don’t even need to accuse Hamas [of genocide] because they admit that they are a genocidal enterprise,” he said.
Israel has called the charge of genocide “absurd” and accused South Africa of playing “advocate of the devil” for Hamas. A spokesperson for the Israeli government said ahead of the hearings that the country’s military action is directed at the Hamas terrorist group, and that it remains committed to international law.
Post-apartheid South Africa has been a defender of the Palestinian cause. The country’s filing against Israel at the court cites the sustained bombing campaign in Gaza and failure to provide food and essential humanitarian assistance to Gaza.
Israel and Hamas have been at war since Oct. 7, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing over 1,200 Israelis and taking over 200 hostages.
