The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) has thrown its weight behind the recent findings of the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry, which determined that Israel’s military campaign in Gaza constitutes genocide, Business Insider Africa reports.
According to the UN commission, Israel’s actions meet four of the five criteria outlined in the 1948 Genocide Convention, including mass killings, infliction of serious bodily and psychological harm, the systematic destruction of essential infrastructure, and conditions deliberately imposed to destroy the population in whole or in part.
The report also cited public statements by Israeli political and military leaders as evidence of what it described as genocidal intent.
UN-cited figures estimate that over 64,000 Palestinians—many of them women and children—have been killed since the war began.
The inquiry further argued that starvation, forced displacement, and the large-scale destruction of civilian systems amounted to deliberate policy aimed at rendering Gaza uninhabitable.
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SAFTU said the findings validate South Africa’s case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), where Pretoria has accused Israel of breaching the Genocide Convention.
Despite Western opposition, the South African government has insisted that Israel’s campaign in Gaza constitutes genocide under international law.
However, the union also criticized what it described as “double-speak” by South Africa and other BRICS members, highlighting that trade with Israel has continued to rise even as governments denounce the war.
UN trade data shows that South Africa exported goods worth US$178 million to Israel in 2024—a 23% increase from the previous year—including coal and metals.
Similar trends have been observed in China and India, whose bilateral trade with Israel reached US$14.3 billion and US$3.9 billion respectively in 2024.
SAFTU also pointed to companies profiting from the war, such as African Rainbow Minerals, which has been linked to coal exports to Israel.
The federation warned that such economic ties could indirectly aid Israel’s military capacity by freeing up resources for arms transfers.
In response, SAFTU renewed its call for boycotts of Israeli goods, divestment from companies linked to Israel, an end to arms sales, and diplomatic isolation.
It urged unions worldwide to escalate protest actions, refuse to handle Israeli-linked goods, and mobilize workers in solidarity with Palestinians.
“Justice cannot be spoken with one mouth and undermined with the other hand,” the federation said, stressing that governments and corporations enabling the war bear responsibility alongside the perpetrators.
Image Credit: PBS
