American activist and philosopher Cornel West has lauded South African leaders for their “moral clarity” after referring Israel to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for its “war crimes” in Gaza.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday West also took to task the current US administration for glossing over Israel’s actions in Palestine.
“I salute President Cyril Ramaphosa and the Republic of South Africa for demonstrating moral clarity and global leadership in officially filing paperwork to the ICC charging … Israel with War Crimes against the precious people of Gaza,” West wrote.
“This is the kind of leadership sorely missing in the US with the current administration,” He added.
I salute President Cyril Ramaphosa and the Republic of South Africa for demonstrating moral clarity and global leadership in officially filing paperwork to the ICC charging the State of Israel with War Crimes against the precious people of Gaza. With video evidence now confirming…
— Cornel West (@CornelWest) December 23, 2023
He highlighted that the charges are “vindicated” as video evidence can now confirm Israel’s use of 2,000-pound bombs in an area of southern Gaza where it had ordered civilians to move for safety.
According to an analysis of visual evidence by The New York Times, during the first six weeks of the war in Gaza, Israel routinely used one of its biggest and most destructive bombs in areas it designated safe for civilians.
“People of the Global Majority and conscience will never turn a blind eye to the suffering, subjugation, and illegal occupation of Palestine – and it is good to see leaders taking the necessary steps to deliver justice for and liberation of Palestine,” he said.
West is among the most outspoken critics of US foreign policy, specifically in regard to the Israeli regime, among other sticking issues such as white supremacy and police brutality in the United States.
As Israel’s war on Gaza enters its 11th week, the international community has begun filing complaints against the Israeli regime for its month-long genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.
Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), a US-based rights group, officially called on the ICC to prosecute senior Israeli commanders for war crimes over their involvement in the occupant regime’s genocide of Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.
The rights organization, founded by prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the Washington Post columnist who was brutally murdered in the kingdom’s Istanbul consulate in 2018, filed the submission on Wednesday, with Sarah Leah Whitson, the rights group’s executive director, urging the ICC to investigate the case of Israel’s 40 military top brass as the “prime suspects” in the regime’s genocidal war on Gaza.
The ICC investigates and, if approved, prosecutes individuals charged with severe crimes of concern to the international community, including genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and crimes of aggression.
