Israel has firmly rejected accusations of genocide in the Gaza war at the International Court of Justice. South Africa’s accusations are “unfounded and absurd,” Israel’s representative said in The Hague on Friday.
The victims of the Gaza war and the suffering of the civilian population were the sole responsibility of the terrorist organization Hamas. “Israel is at war with Hamas, but not with the Palestinian people,” said Israeli Foreign Ministry legal adviser Tal Becker.
“The applicant seeks to undermine Israel’s inherent right to defend itself… and to render Israel defenseless,” Becker said. “Israel does not want to destroy a people, but to protect its own people,” the legal advisor said.
Indictment is new for Israel
“If there were genocides, they were committed against Israel.” In his appeal for Israel’s right to self-defense, Becker described the massacres by the terrorist organization Hamas, which dominates the Gaza Strip, in which about 1,200 people were killed. and there were approximately 250 people kidnapped from Israel on October 7.
It is the first time that Israel has been charged with genocide before the highest UN court. South Africa filed the lawsuit citing the Genocide Convention, to which Israel is also a signatory. The military force was intended to deliberately destroy the lives of Palestinians, South Africa said.
How should judgments be classified?
The court, which must settle conflicts between states, will first hear an urgent request from South Africa that the judges order an end to the military operation. Israel has rejected this demand. This would deprive the country of its right to self-defense. A decision on this application is expected within a few weeks.
The ICJ’s rulings are legally binding, but the UN court cannot enforce them in any way. However, the decisions can have far-reaching consequences, sometimes differing from the plaintiffs’ intentions. For example, after Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence in 2008, Serbia suffered a lawsuit in The Hague. Contrary to Belgrade’s hopes, the court did not classify the move as contrary to international law, causing the lawsuit to boomerang.
Lawsuit causes outrage
The lawsuit against Israel is also controversial within the European Union. While the Slovenian government wants to participate in the process, other countries are more critical of the discussions in The Hague. This also includes Austria. “We oppose all attempts to politicize the International Court of Justice,” Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) emphasized on Thursday.
With his Czech counterpart Petr Fiala, he published a similar message on X:
A group of members of the National Council have spoken out more sharply at the initiative of ÖVP mandate Martin Engelberg. In a statement released Thursday, they described the accusations of genocide against Israel as “insulting” and “ridiculous.”
“This is yet another case in which the term genocide is misused,” said the statement, which was attended by 16 members of the National Council on Friday – 14 ÖVP parliamentarians and NEOS parliamentarians Helmut Brandstätter and Johannes Margreiter.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
