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But leading lawyers who have spent decades assessing matters of legal fact to see if there is a case to answer believe it is not necessary to wait for the process started in January last year by South Africa to make a years-long progress through the ICJ.

He points out that an advisory opinion of the ICJ has already determined that Israel's presence in Gaza and the West Bank was illegal.

The genocide case at the ICJ guarantees that.

Speaking of the ICJ case, in which South Africa accused Israel in December 2023 of committing genocide against Palestinians living in Gaza - an allegation Israel denies, Mr Magwenya admitted it might "lead to a robust discussion".

In 2016, following years of mediation by the United Nations, the two nations agreed to let the ICJ settle the matter.