Champion of Justice: Adila Hashem’s Legal Journey Against Genocide Allegations
Watan-Once South Africa filed a lawsuit against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, accusing it of genocide against Palestinians during its war on Gaza, attention turned to the only Muslim in the legal team and Gaza’s advocate in The Hague: Dr. Adila Hashem, or Adeela Hashem from Durban, South Africa.
Adila Hashem is a renowned South African lawyer, known for her significant contributions to constitutional rights and social justice reforms.
الجميع يسأل من هي المحامية الرائعة التي قدمت مرافعة أنيقة وبأدلة دامغة في فريق #جنوب_افريقيا
هي المسلم الوحيد في الفريق، القانونية الدكتورة والحقوقية: عديلة هاشم، أو عادلة هاشم من ديربان، جنوب أفريقية.
عديلة هاشم أو (عادلة هاشم) هي محامية جنوب أفريقية مشهورة، معروفة بمساهماتها… pic.twitter.com/MZ7drs4iPP
— Idriss C. Ayat 🇳🇪 (@AyatIdrissa) January 11, 2024
Dr. Adila Hashem is a Muslim legal and human rights advocate
She was born in 1965 in Durban, Natal province. In the late 1980s, she won the Franklin Thomas Fellowship to pursue a Master of Laws degree at Drew University in the United States. Subsequently, she obtained a Master of Laws from St. Louis University.
Hashem was granted a scholarship to pursue a doctoral degree in law at the University of Notre Dame in the United States, completing her PhD in 2006. She has been a member of the Johannesburg Bar since June 2003.
Adila Hashem has been practicing law for two decades and also serves as an acting judge. Her preferred areas of practice include constitutional law, administrative law, health law, and competition law.
She has represented cases in various divisions of the South African Supreme Court and Constitutional Court.
According to activists, Adila Hashem participated in the establishment of the non-profit legal center “Section 27” in 2010. The center focuses on public interest litigation, particularly in areas related to healthcare and education for marginalized communities.
الجميع يسأل من هي المحامية الرائعة التي قدمت مرافعة أنيقة وبأدلة دامغة في فريق #جنوب_افريقيا
هي المسلم الوحيد في الفريق، القانونية الدكتورة والحقوقية: عديلة هاشم، أو عادلة هاشم من ديربان، جنوب أفريقية.
عديلة هاشم أو (عادلة هاشم) هي محامية جنوب أفريقية مشهورة، معروفة بمساهماتها… pic.twitter.com/MZ7drs4iPP
— Idriss C. Ayat 🇳🇪 (@AyatIdrissa) January 11, 2024
Adila Hashem played a pivotal role in several high-profile legal cases, including the tragedy of “Marikana,” where 34 miners were killed.
“Open Shuhada Street”
In 2014, Adila joined a delegation from the South African organization “Open Shuhada Street,” which opposes settlements, on a trip to Israel with the aim of reaching the city of Hebron. This trip was part of their participation in the fifth annual international protest under the slogan “Open Shuhada Street,” a street restricted by the Israeli authorities, allowing passage only for Israeli settlers in the settlements of Kiryat Arba and Avraham Avinu.
In the period 2023-2024, she was appointed as a member of the legal team representing South Africa in the case against Israel at the International Court of Justice regarding Israel’s violation of the Genocide Convention during its war on Gaza.
destroying the lives of Palestinians
In her arguments before the International Court of Justice, prominent South African lawyer Adila Hashem stated that the Israeli bombing campaign aims to “destroy the lives of Palestinians” and has pushed Palestinians “to the brink of famine.”
She stated, “Genocidal operations are never announced in advance, but this court benefits from evidence obtained over the past 13 weeks, which incontrovertibly shows a pattern of behavior and relevant intentions justifying a plausible charge of committing acts of genocide.”
As a signatory to the treaty, South Africa has the ability to bring Israel before the International Court of Justice, which adjudicates disputes between states and is often referred to as the “World Court.”
المقطع الأهم في المرافعة التاريخية التي قدمتها عديلة هاشم، المحامية الجنوب أفريقية في محكمة العدل الدولية اليوم،
هدوء ورصانة ومنطق مثبت بالحجج والوقائع…! pic.twitter.com/Oo9LsdCC8S
— Ali Abo Rezeg (@ARezeg) January 11, 2024
Adila Hashim Parents came from Yemen. They moved to the UK and then settled in south Africa when she was child.