Namibia raises his voice against German support for Israel in ICJ genocide case

• Germany has rejected a UN court case accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.
• Germany admitted to committing genocide in Namibia in 2021.
• President Hage Geingob urged Germany to reconsider its decision.

Namibia has condemned its former colonial ruler, Germany, for rejecting a case at a UN court that accuses Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Germany, which acknowledged committing genocide in Namibia in 2021, has offered to intervene on Israel’s behalf in the case brought by South Africa at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.

President Hage Geingob has urged Germany to “reconsider its untimely decision to intervene as a third party in defense.”

Between 1904 and 1908, German colonizers massacred more than 70,000 Herero and Nama people, a historical event considered by historians to be the 20th century’s first genocide.

President Geingob emphasized that Germany cannot “morally express commitment to the United Nations Convention against genocide, including atonement for the genocide in Namibia,” while simultaneously supporting Israel.

“The German Government is yet to fully atone for the genocide it committed on Namibian soil” he added.

On Friday, the German government stated that the accusation of genocide against Israel was completely unfounded and amounted to a “political instrumentalization” of the UN genocide convention.

“Given Germany’s history and the crime against humanity of the Holocaust, the government sees itself as particularly committed to the genocide convention,” it said.

On October 7, Hamas, which initiated the current conflict by attacking Israel, aimed to destroy Israel, asserting it was acting in self-defense. On that day, Hamas killed about 1,300 people, predominantly civilians, and took around 240 others hostage.

Israel’s attack on Gaza:

Subsequently, Israel responded with retaliatory attacks on Gaza, resulting in the death of nearly 24,000 people, primarily children and women, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

The UN and humanitarian organizations have warned of the potential for famine in Gaza and the spread of disease among displaced people, urging the allowance of more aid into the territory.

In response to the scale of Israel’s actions, South Africa submitted a case to the ICJ, questioning whether Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza.

Pretoria’s case listed numerous alleged Israeli offenses, including the indiscriminate killing of Palestinian civilians and the widespread destruction of Gaza’s infrastructure.

Israel has vehemently denied the allegation, labeling it as “baseless.” Its legal team criticized South Africa’s submission, arguing that if anyone were guilty of genocide, it was Hamas.

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