The International Court of Justice begins reviewing South Africa’s case against Israel for genocide

The procedures before the international Court of Justice (ICJ) for the lawsuit brought by South Africa against Israel for ‘genocide’ in the Gaza Strip, started this Thursday at the Peace Palace in the Dutch city Hedge. The organisation’s chairman, Joan Donoghue, presented at the start of the hearings the lawyers who will represent South Africa and Israel respectively, Dikgang Ernest Moseneke and Aharon Barak, who took an oath in court. South Africa will speak today from 10am to 1pm, and Israel will do the same during the day on Friday.

“Israel’s actions and omissions have a genocidal character because they aim to bring about the destruction of a substantial part of the Palestinian national, racial and ethnic group: the part of the Palestinian group in the Gaza Strip,” South accused Africa when it initiated these proceedings against Israel on December 29. The case revolves around the violation of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocideapproved in 1948 and in force in 152 countries.

During today’s hearing, South African lawyer Adila Hassim accused Israel of one “pattern of genocidal behavior” in the Gaza Strip with “mass killings,” “forced displacement” and “serious physical or mental harm” of Palestinian civilians

These hearings will not yet address the merits of the case, and will focus only on the need for precautionary measures to “protect the rights of the Palestinian people from greater, serious and irreparable damage” during the Gaza offensive.

Since the Hamas attack on Israel, which left 1,200 dead, the Israeli army has launched a powerful offensive on Gaza, devastating the enclave. 23,300 Palestinians killeds, more than 60,000 injured and 1.9 million displaced in an area inhabited by 2.3 million people.