War against Hamas
“Completely distorted”: Israel defends itself against genocide accusations at the International Court of Justice
Tal Becker, one of Israel’s lawyers in The Hague
© Remko / DPA
Israel is defending itself before the ICJ in The Hague against South Africa’s claim of genocide in the Gaza Strip. South Africa shows a “completely distorted” picture of the war against Hamas.
Becker emphasized that the case does not reflect the realities of the situation in the war between Israel and the Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip. “What Israel aims to do with its operations in Gaza is not the destruction of a people, but the protection of a people, its people, who are under attack from multiple fronts.”
Israel shows photos and videos of Hamas attack
Using videos and photos, Becker presented a picture of the attacks on October 7th. The Hamas fighters “tortured children in front of their parents, parents in front of their children, burned people (…), raped and mutilated systematically,” he said. Under these circumstances, “there could hardly be a more false and malicious accusation than the accusation of genocide against Israel.”
The proceedings before the ICJ began on Thursday with a hearing by South Africa. The country accuses Israel of “genocide” against the Palestinians and is demanding an urgent order from the ICJ to immediately stop Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip. A lawyer for South Africa said Israel’s bombings in the Gaza Strip were aimed at “destroying Palestinian life” and had brought the area’s residents “to the brink of famine.” A decision in the urgent procedure could come within a few weeks.
Israel’s ally the United States has rejected South Africa’s lawsuit as unfounded and promised a vigorous defense. The federal government also “firmly and expressly” rejected the accusation of genocide made against Israel. “This accusation has no basis whatsoever,” said a statement from the federal government on Friday. Germany will speak out as a third party in the main hearing.
ICJ cannot enforce judgments
On October 7, hundreds of fighters from Hamas, classified as a terrorist organization by the USA and the EU, entered Israel and committed atrocities, mostly against civilians. According to Israeli information, around 1,140 people were killed and around 250 others were taken hostage in the Gaza Strip.
Since then, Israel has been massively attacking the Gaza Strip. According to Hamas figures that cannot be independently verified, more than 23,700 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory so far.
The International Court of Justice in The Hague is the central judicial body of the United Nations and decides on disputes between countries. His judgments are binding. However, the ICJ has no real tools at its disposal to enforce compliance with its rulings.