Susan Sarandon, Charles Dance, Cynthia Nixon Among Stars Supporting South Africa’s Genocide Charges Against Israel

More than two dozen prominent names from the acting world — including Susan Sarandon, Cynthia Nixon, The Crown actors Khalid Abdalla and Tobias Menzies, and Game of Thrones stars Charles Dance, Carice van Houten and Lena Headey — have contributed to a series of videos supporting South Africa’s historic case charging Israel with genocide at the International Court of Justice in the Hague.

The video series is published by the Palestine Festival of Literature, a British-based cultural association committed to “the creation of language and ideas for combating colonialism in the 21st century.” The video shows the actors reading key sections of South Africa’s 84-page dossier, which argues Israel is guilty of violating the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in its actions in its war in Gaza against the terrorist group Hamas.

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South Africa presented its case to the court, the United Nations’ top judicial body, on Thursday.

Israel categorically denies the genocide accusation and is set to present its defense in The Hague on Friday.

Other actors who contributed to the video series include Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You), Indya Moore (Pose), Steve Coogan (The Trip), Wallace Shawn (The Princess Bride) and Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development).

South Africa has argued that Israeli leaders and lawmakers “declared their genocidal intent” in public statements such as those by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who said in October that Israel would impose a complete siege on the territory because it was fighting “human animals.” In its case, South Africa is calling on the court to order a ceasefire in Gaza to prevent “irreparable harm.”

According to health officials in Gaza, more than 23,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the Israeli-Hamas war, which was sparked by the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas and other armed groups in southern Israel which killed around 1,200 people and resulted in around 240 hostages.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described the proceedings in The Hague as an upside-down world,” saying “Israel is accused of genocide at a time when it is fighting against genocide.” Israeli officials have argued that it is Hamas that should face charges of genocide and other crimes. The New York Times quoted Lior Haiat, a spokesman for Israel’s Foreign Ministry, who called the proceedings in the Hague “one of the greatest shows of hypocrisy in history,” noting that Hamas “calls in its convention for the destruction of the state of Israel and the murder of Jews.”

The charge of genocide is a particularly significant one in Israel, a state founded after the massacre of Jewish people in the Holocaust. Under the UN genocide convention, to which Israel is a signatory, there must be a proven intent to destroy — in whole or in part — a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. Proving intent is often the most difficult element in genocide cases.

The legal proceedings could take years, but the court in the Hague could rule in the coming weeks on possible emergency measures, including a ceasefire. Decisions by the court are binding but the court has few means of enforcement.

You can watch the first video below.

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