"Standing by our principles sometimes has consequences, but we remain firm that this is important for the rule of law," said Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola in an interview with the Financial Times.

South Africa has reaffirmed its commitment to pursuing its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), despite threats and aid cuts from the Trump administration.

Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola made it clear in an interview with the Financial Times that there is “no chance” the country will withdraw the case, which it initially filed in December 2023.

“Standing by our principles sometimes has consequences, but we remain firm that this is important for the world and the rule of law,” Lamola stated.

South Africa was the first nation to take Israel to the ICJ over its war in Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of more than 48,000 people and left the enclave in ruins. A ceasefire that began on January 19 remains in place.

Last week, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order halting financial aid to South Africa. The decision was framed as a response to a new land appropriation law that the US claims seizes property from the country’s White minority, as well as South Africa’s ICJ case against Israel.

Additionally, the US has accused South Africa of collaborating with Iran on “commercial, military, and nuclear arrangements.”

“The United States cannot support the government of South Africa’s commission of rights violations in its country or its ‘undermining United States foreign policy, which poses national security threats to our Nation, our allies, our African partners, and our interests,” the executive order stated.

In response, Lamola dismissed claims of nuclear collaboration, stating, “While we do have a good relationship with Iran, we don’t have any nuclear programs with them, nor any trade to speak of.”

Meanwhile, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa recently signed the expropriation bill into law, allowing the state to seize land without compensation if deemed “just, equitable, and in the public interest.”

The South African government insists that the law aims to correct past injustices from the apartheid era and has denounced Trump’s accusations as “lies, distortions, and misinformation.”

Ramaphosa also clarified that the only financial support South Africa had been receiving from the US was funding for HIV/AIDS prevention.

Since South Africa initiated its case against Israel for alleged violations of the 1948 Genocide Convention in Gaza, several countries have joined the legal proceedings, including Nicaragua, Colombia, Cuba, Libya, Mexico, Spain, Belize, and Türkiye.

Separately, the International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. In response, Trump has sanctioned the ICC for its investigation into Israeli officials.