By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Magadh Today - Beyond HeadlinesMagadh Today - Beyond HeadlinesMagadh Today - Beyond Headlines
  • Home
  • India
  • Editorial
  • Opinion
  • Global
  • Technology
  • Science
  • Asia
  • Business
  • Finance
Reading: Israel rejects South Africa’s “false” genocide accusations, tells ICJ it must defend itself
Share
Notification Show More
Aa
Magadh Today - Beyond HeadlinesMagadh Today - Beyond Headlines
Aa
  • India
  • Economy
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Technology
  • Finance
  • Editorial
  • Opinion
  • Science
  • Home
  • Technology
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Politics
  • Science
  • Sitemap
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
  • Advertise
© 2022 Foxiz News Network. Ruby Design Company. All Rights Reserved.
Magadh Today - Beyond Headlines > Latest News > Global > Israel rejects South Africa’s “false” genocide accusations, tells ICJ it must defend itself
GlobalIsreal

Israel rejects South Africa’s “false” genocide accusations, tells ICJ it must defend itself

Gulshan Kumar
Last updated: 2024/01/12 at 7:40 PM
By Gulshan Kumar 2 years ago
Share
SHARE

Israel on Friday rejected as false and “grossly distorted” accusations brought by South Africa at the UN’s top court that its military operation in Gaza is a state-led genocide campaign against the Palestinian population.

Arguing it was acting to defend itself and was fighting Hamas, not the Palestinian population, Israel called on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to dismiss the case as groundless and reject South Africa’s request to halt the offensive.

“This is no genocide,” lawyer Malcolm Shaw said.

Israel launched its offensive in Gaza after a cross-border rampage on Oct 7 by Hamas fighters. Israeli officials said 1,200 people were killed, mainly civilians, and 240 were taken hostage.

“The appalling suffering of civilians, both Israeli and Palestinian, is first and foremost the result of Hamas’ strategy,” the Israeli foreign ministry’s legal adviser, Tal Becker told the court.

“If there were acts of genocide, they have been perpetrated against Israel,” Becker said. “Hamas seeks genocide against Israel,” he added.

South Africa asked the court on Thursday to impose emergency measures ordering Israel to immediately halt the offensive.

It said Israel’s aerial and ground offensive — which has laid waste to much of the enclave and killed almost 24,000 people, according to Gaza health authorities — aimed to bring about “the destruction of the population” of Gaza.

Israel rejected the accusations, saying it respected international law and had a right to defend itself.

“When the cannons roar in Gaza the law is not silent,” Deputy Attorney General Gilad Noam told the court.

The 1948 Genocide Convention, enacted in the wake of the mass murder of Jews in the Nazi Holocaust, defines genocide as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group”.

Suffering

Israel, its defence team argued, was doing what it could to alleviate the humanitarian suffering in Gaza, including efforts to urge Palestinians to evacuate.

The court is expected to rule on possible emergency measures later this month but will not rule at that time on the genocide accusations. Those proceedings could take years. The ICJ’s decisions are final and without appeal, but the court has no way to enforce them.

Palestinian backers with flags marched through The Hague and watched proceedings on a giant screen in front of the Peace Palace. As the Israeli delegation spoke in court, they chanted: “Liar! Liar!”

A person holds a placard as pro-Palestinian protesters gather near the International Court of Justice as judges hear a request for emergency measures by South Africa to order Israel to stop its military actions in Gaza, in The Hague, Netherlands January 12. — Reuters

A person holds a placard as pro-Palestinian protesters gather near the International Court of Justice as judges hear a request for emergency measures by South Africa to order Israel to stop its military actions in Gaza, in The Hague, Netherlands January 12. — Reuters

Asked what she thought of Israel’s arguments that the Gaza campaign was a matter of self-defence, Neen Haijjawi, a Palestinian who recently came to Netherlands said: “How can an occupier that’s been oppressing people for 75 years say it’s self-defence?”

Israeli supporters were holding a separate gathering of family members of hostages taken by Hamas.

Israel has said South Africa is acting as a mouthpiece for Islamist Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist group by the United States, the European Union, Britain and several other nations. South Africa has rejected that accusation.

Since Israeli forces started their offensive, nearly all of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been driven from their homes at least once, leading to a humanitarian catastrophe.

Post-apartheid South Africa has long advocated the Palestinian cause, a relationship forged when the African National Congress’ struggle against white-minority rule was supported by Yasser Arafat’s Palestine Liberation Organisation.

“My grandfather always regarded the Palestinian struggle as the greatest moral issue of our time,” Mandla Mandela, a grandson of the late South African president Nelson Mandela, said at a rally in support of the Palestinians in Cape Town.

By Reuters

You Might Also Like

Trump Imposes Additional 25% Tariff on Indian Imports Over Russian Oil Purchases

US working to prevent Turkiye offensive in Syria

US, Canadian, Australian travellers face UK entry fee

Britain bans islamic investment group’s ‘offensive’ ads’

Trudeau rejects Trump’s idea of forcing Canada to become a US state

Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Whatsapp LinkedIn Reddit Telegram Copy Link Print
Previous Article Apple Arcade’s Top 5 Picks for 2023: From Sneaky Sasquatch to Bloons TD 6+, Check Out These Essential Games
Next Article Congress leader says ‘shouldn’t be any hesitation’ in attending Ram Temple event after SC verdict
about us

Your daily dose of news and updates on politics, culture, and events around the globe. Stay informed, stay connected!

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Sitemap
  • Contact
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
Magadh Today - Beyond HeadlinesMagadh Today - Beyond Headlines
© Magadh Today Network. All Rights Reserved.
Go to mobile version
adbanner
AdBlock Detected
Our site is an advertising supported site. Please whitelist to support our site.
Okay, I'll Whitelist
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?