Department of International Relations and Cooperation director-general Zane Dangor has urged the government of Israel to immediately stop the forced displacement of civilians in Gaza, calling for an end to “institutional impunity”.

As co-chairs of the Hague Group, South Africa and Colombia called an emergency two-day conference in Bogotá, seeking to halt what they describe as the genocide in Gaza.

Dangor said Israel had blatantly ignored orders from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in violation of international law, for too long.

“Despite this, the impunity continues unabated. Israel continues with its violence against Palestinians, with forced evacuations, and targeted attacks on schools and medical facilities being the order of the day. An unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, exacerbated by further denials of safe access to, and delivery of, desperately needed aid, has been unfolding before our eyes,” he stated.

He called on Israel to uphold its obligations under international law to protect and uphold the rights of Palestinians, refrain from excessive and lethal use of force and guarantee unimpeded access to humanitarian assistance, including healthcare and other essential services in the West Bank and Gaza.

“As responsible Members States of the United Nations, it is our duty to ensure that the bloodshed and genocide in Gaza is stopped, and is stopped now, as we do not have the luxury of time,” he said.

Israel has killed more than 58 000 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023.

Dangor said Israel ignoring the decisions of the courts and the UN with no consequence, was negatively impacting the integrity of international law, including international humanitarian law, and the organisations that were tasked with their administration.

He said Israel’s “continued disregard” for the rulings of the ICJ, undermined the integrity of the court and harmed the capacity of the institutions of global governance to end impunity.

“…this is unacceptable, and we should not be complicit in Israel’s endeavours to irreparably harm the institutions that were established to hold all of us accountable to the goals of a more peaceful and just world.

“Israel’s unlawful actions are enabled when we seek to rationalise their actions. The crime of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the crime of apartheid are not complex, they are unlawful,” said Dangor.

He called for an end to the “institutional impunity” that Israel has enjoyed for over five decades.

“The carnage we see in Palestine today, is testament to the folly of Israel’s grand exceptionalism from accountability to international law and norms,” he said.

He noted that the violence and restrictions under Israeli occupation had rendered the mandates of humanitarian and development organisations virtually impossible to fulfil.

“Humanitarian support provided by Member States is regularly obstructed and destroyed by Israeli authorities or being allowed to be destroyed by right-wing and extreme elements. We now see attacks on mandate holders of the UN in the form of unilateral sanctions,” he explained.

The Hague Group was established in January by Bolivia, Colombia, South Africa, Honduras, Malaysia, Namibia, Senegal and Cuba, in response to the violence perpetrated against Palestinians.

Following the conference, the Hague Group will announce actions to enforce international law to end the violence and ensure accountability.