Israel suspends flights to Pretoria ahead of international court of justice decision
The Israeli government seeks to pressure South Africa due to its accusation before the International Court of Justice on grounds of anti-Semitism and security concerns
Israeli airline “El Al” has decided to suspend its flights to South Africa starting from the end of March in its first response to Pretoria’s call against the Hebrew state for genocide in Gaza, just hours before the International Court of Justice issues its decision in the case.
The Hebrew official broadcasting body stated on Friday, “El Al has announced the suspension of its flights to Johannesburg in South Africa starting from the end of March.”
The Hebrew newspaper “Jerusalem Post” reported on Friday, “El Al is expected to halt its flights to South Africa due to passenger shortages, attributed to South Africa’s accusations against Israel in the International Court of Justice for committing crimes against humanity, according to an insider source within the company.”
The same source added, citing, “Due to the security situation and the Hague case, Israelis are not keen on traveling to South Africa and prefer new destinations instead, such as Tokyo, the United States, and Thailand.”
Relations between the two countries soured after the outbreak of war in Gaza, where Pretoria decided to recall all its diplomats, and its parliament called for cutting ties with the Hebrew state. Strong ties exist between South Africa and Palestinians dating back to the struggle against racial discrimination led by Nelson Mandela, with the South African people viewing the suffering of the Palestinian people from apartheid and discrimination as similar to what they experienced in past decades. Israeli officials pledged to punish the South African government for its stances and calls before the International Court of Justice, while former Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman urged Pretoria to pay the price for filing a lawsuit.
In a tweet last week, he added, “First and foremost, diplomatic relations with any country supporting terrorist organizations worldwide, especially Hamas and Hezbollah, must be severed,” stating that his country “should call on Jews in South Africa to immigrate to Israel and not wait for anti-Semitism, which will include persecution and harm against Jews.”
The International Court of Justice in The Hague held public hearings on January 11 and 12 as part of the consideration of the complaint filed by South Africa against Israel for “genocide” committed against Palestinians in Gaza.
The Court announced in a statement released Wednesday that it would issue its decision on Friday at 12:00 (GMT) regarding “South Africa’s request for indication of provisional measures in the case concerning the application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in Gaza
