WINDHOEK: Namibia has condemned its former colonial ruler Germany鈥檚 decision this week to reject accusations against Israel by South Africa of 鈥済enocide鈥� at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
South Africa launched an emergency case at the ICJ arguing that Israel stands in breach of the UN Genocide Convention, signed in 1948 in the wake of the Holocaust, and wants the court to 鈥渋mmediately鈥� stop its military operations in Gaza which were launched after the October 7 Hamas attacks.
Namibia, a southern African country where the first genocide of the 20th century took place under German colonial rule, 鈥渞ejects Germany鈥檚 support of the genocidal intent of the racist Israeli state,鈥� the presidency said in a statement late Saturday.
Lamenting 鈥淕ermany鈥檚 inability to draw lessons from its horrific history,鈥� Namibian President Hage Geingob expressed 鈥渄eep concern鈥� for the German government鈥檚 decision Friday of having 鈥渞ejected the morally upright indictment brought forward by South Africa.鈥�
Geingob accused Berlin of 鈥渋gnoring鈥� the 鈥渄eaths of over 23,000 Palestinians in Gaza鈥� and defending in front of the ICJ 鈥渢he genocidal and gruesome acts of the Israeli Government.鈥�
The German government on Friday 鈥渄ecisively and expressly鈥� rejected South Africa鈥檚 accusations against Israel, calling it a 鈥減olitical instrumentalization鈥� of the UN Genocide Convention with 鈥渘o basis in fact.鈥�
Germany was responsible for the massacres of more than 70,000 Indigenous Herero and Nama people in Namibia between 1904 and 1908, which historians widely consider the first genocide of the 20th century.
鈥淭he German Government is yet to fully atone for the genocide it committed,鈥� the Namibian presidency said Saturday.
In May 2021, after more than five years of negotiations, Germany said it recognized it committed a 鈥済enocide鈥� in the territory it colonized from 1884 and 1915 and pleged more than 1.1 billion euros ($1.2 billion) in development aid over 30 years to benefit the descendents of the two tribes.