On Palestine - Will Ramgoolam do Better than what Jugnauth did?
17.10.2025
Here is what the Jugnauth Government, through acting Foreign Minister Seeruttun, said just over a year ago about the International Court of Justice* ruling that Israel’s occupation of Palestine is illegal. It came after the Jugnauth Government actually did something: it gave oral submissions in favour of Palestine and against Israel at the ICJ.
Will Ramgoolam do something better than what Jugnauth did? Jugnauth sent a top legal team with “Oral submission”, to testify at The Hague. And in the National Assembly a Jugnauth Minister made a statement, part of which we publish below.
So far, Ramgoolam has been a disaster. He cancelled the “oral submissions” already planned by the Jugnauth Government, due to be delivered at the ICJ against Israel in another case, the one against Israel for its intentional starvation of Gaza. Can he now repair the damage and go further? Will he put into practice the ICJ judgment that the State of Mauritius helped fight for, now that it is decided? Can he join South Africa’s ICJ case against Israel for genocide? It is not too late.
Here is what the Jugnauth Government said (Hansard of 21 July 2024) about the ICJ judgment on the illegality of the Israeli occupation of Palestine:
“... Mr Speaker, Sir, on 19 July 2024, the International Court of Justice delivered a landmark advisory opinion wherein it is mentioned that Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is unlawful and should be ended as rapidly as possible. The International Court of Justice also expressed the opinion that and I quote –
“ ‘All states are under an obligation not to recognise as legal the situation arising from the unlawful presence of the State of Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory and not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by the continued presence of the State of Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory.’
“In its advisory opinion, the Court concludes that the State of Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is unlawful. The State of Israel is under an obligation to bring an end to its unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territory as rapidly as possible. The State of Israel is under an obligation to cease immediately all new settlement activities and to evacuate all settlers from the occupied Palestinian territory.
“The State of Israel has the obligation to make reparation for the damaged caused to all the natural or legal persons concerned in the occupied Palestinian territory. All States are under an obligation not to recognise as legal, the situation arising from the unlawful presence of the State of Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory and not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by the continued presence of the State of Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory.
“International organisations, including the United Nations, are under an obligation not to recognise as legal the situation arising from the unlawful presence of the State of Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory. The United Nations and especially the General Assembly which requested opinion and the Security Council should consider the precise modalities and further actions that are required to bring an end as rapidly as possible to the unlawful presence of the State of Israel in the occupied Palestinian territory. [This has been done by the UN General Assembly. One year was given for implementation. Each State has very clear obligations to act.]
“The House would recall that on 09 July 2024, in an answer to PQ B/571, my colleague, the hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and International Trade, stated that on 22 February 2024, Mauritius participated in the oral hearings at the ICJ on the request for an advisory opinion pursuant to the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 77/247. Pertaining to the question of Palestine, Mauritius took a very proactive stand on this issue and was among the 57 States which made a written submission to the ICJ. ...
“We, therefore, welcome and fully support the advisory opinion delivered by the International Court of Justice. Mauritius calls for the full implementation of the ICJ advisory opinion, calls on Israel to adhere to its international obligations and to respect international law and urges the international community to fulfil its obligations in addressing Israel’s illegal practices. ...”
Ramgoolam must go further now, and isolate Israel sufficiently so that we change the balance of forces against this dangerous bandit state. Taken together with the USA’s military occupation of Diego Garcia, these two issues risk becoming one, and endangering not just our Republic but the entire world.
* For clarity: There have been three different cases recently at the ICJ for Advisory Opinions on Israel: The one we are writing about here on the illegality of the Israeli occupation (the judgment relies heavily on the Mauritius case at the ICJ for the re-unification of Chagos including Diego Garcia into the republic of Mauritius); the one about the Israeli genocide in Gaza, which has only had Preliminary judgments so far, which do confirm “plausible genocide”; the one about Israel’s intentional starvation, that Ramgoolam withdrew Mauritius’ testimony from.
