South Africa and eight other nations, including totalitarian Cuba, formed the so-called “Hague Group” on Friday with the explicit aim of opposing Israel, and denying it the mean to defend itself against Palestinian terrorist attacks.
The “joint inaugural statement,” signed by Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Honduras, Malaysia, Namibia, Senegal, and South Africa, does not include a single Arab state or any nation actually located in the Middle East.
It cites “our obligations to end the Israeli occupation of the State of Palestine [sic] and support the realisation of the inalienable right of the Palestinian People to self-determination, including the right to their independent State of Palestine.” It does not mention Hamas, or terror, at all; the only mention of civilians refers to Palestinian civilians.
South Africa has long led the charge against Israel, most recently by filing claims of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice. In that sense, post-apartheid South Africa resembles apartheid South Africa, which also clashed, at least initially, with Israel in diplomatic forums. Post-apartheid South Africa has also, like its apartheid predecessor, sided with rogue states outside the international consensus, exchanging right-wing states for left-wing dictatorships.
President Donald Trump has taken a firm stance opposing the abuse of international legal institutions against the democratic nations of the world, restoring an executive order applying sanctions to members of the International Criminal Court (ICC) if they attempt to investigate U.S. soldiers or military personnel from U.S.-aligned countries.
Democrats, however, led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), are blocking broader sanctions against the ICC.
