Did Iran, Qatar pay South Africa to file genocide charges against Israel in international court?
Vusimuzi Madonsela argues on behalf of South Africa and against Israel at the International Court of Justice, the principal judicial arm of the United Nations, in The Hague on May 16, 2024. Credit: ICJ.
by Rolene Marks
(JNS) — Headlined “South Africa, Hamas, Iran and Qatar — the Hijacking of the ANC and the International Court of Justice,” an American think tank has published an exposé of South Africa’s decision to charge Israel with genocide at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
The report by the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy takes an in-depth look at the motives and strategic alliances of the ANC government to bring the case against Israel.
The exposé examines South Africa’s bilateral ties with Qatar and Iran, Russia’s funding of the African National Congress and the worrying ties between members of the South African legal team and various extremist groups and organizations.
It focuses specifically on the ANC, the majority party in power.
Shortly after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led onslaught on the northwestern Negev, South Africa released a statement inferring that Israel was responsible for the massacre. The former minister of international relations, Naledi Pandor, spoke to the then-leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, reiterating South Africa’s solidarity with the Palestinians.
Shortly after that, Pandor visited Tehran. On Dec. 29, 2023, South Africa filed a formal application against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
Dr. Charles Asher Small, executive director of ISGAP, told JNS, “The ANC’s relationship with terror-linked states and their military proxies demands scrutiny. By bringing a case to the ICJ and enabling financial networks that funnel resources to organizations like Hamas, the ANC has positioned South Africa as a link in the global web of terror financing.
“When the ANC accuses Israel of being an apartheid state, like Iran, Hamas and other brutal terror-supporting entities and states, it calls for the elimination of the existence of Israel,” he said.
“What is even more pathetic is that the ANC is doing this in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 pogrom, the most brutal massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, in which the ideology and policies of Hamas were transparent for all to witness with clarity.
“For the ANC leadership to align itself with Hamas especially now, for money, is repugnant and an insult to the people of South Africa,” Small said.
The ANC campaign budget?
One area of particular interest is the financing of the ANC’s election campaign. The ANC was in substantial debt ahead of the May 2024 general election. The report states: “In 2022, for example, the party considered selling off assets to pay off a reported 500 million rand (roughly $27.7 million) in debt.
“Curiously, in early January 2024, S.A. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the ANC had mysteriously managed to stabilize its finances, pay off its staggering debt, and recover from the verge of bankruptcy, without providing any specifics on how this had occurred.
“Crucially, this money appeared in the ANC’s coffers without explanation, mere days after the South African government brought its case against Israel at the ICJ,” the report notes.
The South African Zionist Federation spokesperson, in a statement, said, “The report makes serious claims that require thorough verification.
“These include alleged connections between members of South Africa’s legal team and terror groups such as the PFLP, as well as the purported involvement of anti-Israel NGOs in shaping this case.
“Of particular concern are allegations in the report regarding a substantial, unexplained cash injection allegedly received by the ANC shortly after initiating the ICJ lawsuit.
“If verified, these claims would raise serious questions about whether foreign entities committed to delegitimizing Israel have influenced the ANC’s actions, rather than the democratic will of South African citizens.
“The timing of the ICJ case, coinciding with South Africa’s 2024 election campaign, adds to concerns about potential misuse of government resources,” the spokesperson said.
The SAZF called for an independent investigation into the alleged funding sources behind the ICJ case, full transparency from the ANC regarding these allegations and a formal response from Minister of Justice Thembi Simelane outlining steps to investigate these claims.
The ISGAP report is making waves in the South African media. News24, the country’s largest online publication, ran the story with the headline “Iran behind S.A.’s ICJ case, claims Israel-linked institute with clout among U.S. lawmakers,” and Independent Online had “S.A.’s genocide case against Israel branded political exploitation amid growing Gaza war backlash.”
There has been no comment from the South African government or the ANC about the allegations made in the report.
