South Africa warns US could be liable for ICC prosecution for supporting Israel

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South Africa’s International Relations and Cooperation Ministry warned that America and other Western nations could be subject to prosecution by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for supporting Israel against the Iranian-backed terrorist militias Hamas and Hezbollah.

On May 28, South Africa's International Relations and Cooperation minister, Naledi Pandor, gave a talk about the situation in Rafah and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) hearings.

“Those countries and officials who continue to arm and fund Israel’s war machine will be liable for prosecution was well,” Pandor told the audience at the Stegman Road Mosque in Cape Town.

Pandor stood next to a flag representing the Palestinian Authority while wearing a black and white checkered keffiyeh, which has become a symbol of Palestinian identity, nationalism, and resistance.

South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor in a Cape Town Mosque: America is next - Countries and Officials That Fund Israel’s War Machine Will Be Liable for ICC Prosecution; Class Actions Planned for Foreign Citizens Serving in the IDF; I… pic.twitter.com/4gf3gYIdgi
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) May 30, 2024

The speech made by Pandor confirmed previous warnings from U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson that the United States was the ICC's next potential target.

“If the ICC is allowed to threaten Israel’s leader, we know that America will be next,” Johnson had warned.

During a recent visit to Israel, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham echoed Johnson’s concerns.

“The same model they're using to come after Israel and the IDF, they will use against us,” Graham said, referring to the ICC.

Pandor, who converted to Islam, revealed that she was encouraged to embrace even more radical positions against the Jewish state.

“Sometimes from some of you here. You write to me and say, 'Minister Pandor, you are not radical enough. You are not doing enough. When are you going to lead a jihad?'” she told the crowd in the mosque.

In response, she expressed solidarity with the Palestinians in Rafah in southern Gaza.

"I would wish I were shoulder to shoulder with the men and women in Rafah," Pandor stated. "That is where I feel I should be," she added, without denouncing the terrorists hiding there.

The current South African government reportedly has close ties with the Iranian regime and some pundits believe South Africa is waging a legal war against Israel on behalf of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

In January, the South African government under President Cyril Ramaphosa accused Israel of committing ‘genocide’ in its war against the Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip, who started the fighting with a brutal attack against Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, resulting in 1,200 deaths and 240 hostages kidnapped into Gaza.

In May, ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan officially urged the court to issue arrest warrants for Israeli leaders Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, as well as Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Deif.

However, the United States and other Western democracies have rejected South Africa’s and the ICC chief prosecutor’s hostile actions against Israel.

“Contrary to allegations made against Israel in the ICC, what’s happening is not genocide. We reject that,” U.S. President Joe Biden stated in May in response.

Biden also blasted the “outrageous” announcement that appeared to equate the Western-style democracy of Israel with the terrorist militia Hamas.

“Whatever this prosecutor might imply, there is no equivalence – none – between Israel and Hamas,” Biden argued.