Palestinians in Ramallah hail South Africa for historic ICJ case

Palestinians gathered around the Nelson Mandela statue in the West Bank city of Ramallah last night to thank and celebrate the country of South Africa in its pursuit of justice in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

South Africa has taken Israel to the International Courts of Justice (ICJ) over crimes of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

Today was the first day of the historic trial, which is widely regarded as a test for the applicability of international law towards a state often accused of acting with total impunity.

South Africa's lawyer Blinne Ni Ghralaigh said there is an "urgent need" for provisional measures to protect Palestinians in Gaza from the "irreparable prejudice caused by Israel's violations of the Genocide Convention".

"We [Palestinians] feel that South Africa listens to our heart, to our pain," the Ramallah mayor, Issa Kassis, said last night.