Israel promises to defend itself against genocide accusation at ICJ
Al Jazeera
South Africa says magnitude of death and destruction in Gaza meets the threshold of the 1948 Genocide Convention.
Israel will appear before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague to contest South Africa’s accusation that it is committing genocide against Palestinians in its war with Hamas, an Israeli government spokesman says.
South Africa launched the case against Israel on Friday, saying the magnitude of death, destruction and the extent of the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip meets the threshold of the 1948 Genocide Convention under international law.
South Africa also asked the court to order Israel to stop its attacks in Gaza.
A spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday accused South Africa of “giving political and legal cover” to the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, which triggered the three-month-long war.
“The state of Israel will appear before the International Court of Justice at The Hague to dispel South Africa’s absurd blood libel,” Eylon Levy said.
