A group of nearly 50 South African lawyers is gearing up to file a lawsuit against the governments of the United States and the United Kingdom, asserting complicity in alleged Israeli war crimes against Palestinians.
This legal action follows a separate case initiated by South Africa at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) earlier this month, accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.
The legal team, comprised of lawyers from South Africa and other nations, contends that the United States, the United Kingdom, and other implicated countries should be held accountable for their alleged involvement in crimes against Palestinians.
WATCH: South Africa’s legal eagles target US and UK for war crimes
Saleem Khan, a litigant involved in the case, emphasised that letters of demand would be issued to various defendants, including Israel and other countries internationally complicit in the attacks.
The legal effort aims to bring reparations to Palestinians affected by the alleged genocide.
Khan explained, “We are now eliciting assistance internationally from psychologists, medical experts, engineers, quantity surveyors, chartered accountants, etc., to do a detailed computation regarding reparations, dependence claims, and the reconstruction of Gaza.
“We hope that the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and others complicit with Israel will compensate and contribute to rebuilding Gaza.”
The lawyers are aligning their case with the genocide allegations South Africa has brought against Israel at the ICJ.
This ongoing ICJ case is seen as a guide for the lawyers’ pursuit of justice against the US, UK, and other countries supporting Israel.
The legal team plans to proceed based on the outcomes of the ICJ case and potential actions to be taken by the United Nations.
Legal analyst Reitumetse Phiri highlighted the significance of the ICJ’s determination, stating, “If South Africa wins that matter, you’ll have a determination by the ICJ that what you effectively have in Gaza by Israel is genocide.
“The logical next step would be, barring any UN Security Council decisions, for the US and the UK to give effect to stopping that genocide. It is important that it follows that because if the US and the UK do not follow that decision, then you have effectively a contempt of the highest decision made by the highest court in the world by these governments.”
