An Israeli government spokesman said on Tuesday (Jan 2) that the nation will appear before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague to oppose South Africa’s genocide allegations over the war with Hamas in Gaza.
Last week on Friday, South Africa asked the ICJ for an urgent decision to declare that Israel’s onslaught on Hamas violated its obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention.
In an online briefing, spokesman Eylon Levy said: “The State of Israel will appear before the International Court of Justice at The Hague to dispel South Africa’s absurd blood libel.”
“We assure South Africa’s leaders, history will judge you, and it will judge you without mercy,” Levy added.
During the course of the war which started after the October 7 attack by Hamas militants, Israel has often been accused of committing genocide, which it denies.
The intentional killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group is regarded as genocide.
The United Nations Genocide Convention in 1948 defined genocide as any of five “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group”.
For years, South Africa has supported Palestinian sovereignty in Israeli-occupied lands and also compared Palestinians’ predicament to that of South Africa’s black majority during apartheid.
Lawyers representing South Africa are preparing for the hearing scheduled on Jan. 11 and 12, Clayson Monyela, a spokesperson for South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation, said in a post on X.
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Hamas ‘Open’ to one Palestinian govt for Gaza and West Bank
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said Tuesday he is open to a single Palestinian administration to govern Gaza, which is ruled by the militant group, and the occupied West Bank.
“We have received numerous initiatives concerning the internal (Palestinian) situation and we are open to the idea of a national government for the West Bank and Gaza,” Haniyeh said in a televised address.
October 7 attack
The cross-border attack by the Hamas militants triggered the Israel-Hamas war. Israel says the attack killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians. The gunmen also kidnapped about 250 people as hostages and took taken back into the Gaza Strip.
In a sigh of relief, the two sides agreed to a week-long truce during which Hamas released 105 hostages, mostly women and children, and Israel freed 240 Palestinian prisoners. But the war continued when the truce ended.
Palestinian health officials have said that more than 22,000 have been killed people so far in the retaliation by Israel.
Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.
(With inputs from agencies)
