As predictably as night follows day, two U.S. congressmen, John James (R-MI) and Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), introduced a bill on Feb. 6 to sanction the Republic of South Africa in response to the case that country filed against Israeli genocide before the International Court of Justice, under which the Court found on Jan. 26, 2024 that Israel was in plausible breach of its obligations under the Genocide Convention.
Giving succor to Israel’s Netanyahu government in its ongoing genocidal rampage in Gaza—succor which arguably qualifies the two congressmen for a seat in the docket at the upcoming Nuremberg Tribunal—the bill accuses South Africa of “building ties to countries and actors that undermine [the U.S.’s] national security and threaten [the U.S.] way of life through its military and political cooperation with China and Russia and its support of U.S.-designated terrorist organization Hamas.”
The bill, which has yet to make it to the House floor, specifies: “On December 29, 2023, South Africa filed a politically motivated suit in the International Court of Justice wrongfully accusing Israel of committing genocide. The South African Government has pursued increasingly close relations with the Russian Federation, which has been accused of perpetrating war crimes in Ukraine and indiscriminately undermines human rights.” The bill further accuses South Africa and the ANC party of having close relationships with the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party, “which is committing gross violations of human rights in the Xinjiang province and implementing economically coercive tactics around the globe.” South Africa’s participation in China’s Belt and Road Initiative is provided as proof of this last charge.
