The second and final day of the hearing of the International Court of Justice on the genocide case brought by South Africa against Israel is over. The court’s president, Joan Donoghue, said at the close of the hearing that the court will reach a decision as soon as possible on the request to order Israel to end its military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
The second day was devoted to Israel’s defense against South Africa’s accusations that it is committing genocide. According to South Africa, Israel’s war against Hamas is violating the Genocide Convention, which both countries have signed. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said today that his country also provided evidence of this to the court.
Israel argued during today’s hearing that South Africa has provided “a distorted factual and legal picture” of the war. According to Israel’s lawyers, Israel is acting in self-defense and does so within the framework of international law. “We are not trying to destroy a people, but to protect a people,” said Tal Becker, one of the lawyers.
Israel’s lawyers dismissed allegations that Israel is deliberately attacking Gazan civilians. Instead, they pointed to Hamas, which would use civilians as human shields. They also pointed out that Israel has allowed convoys carrying aid to enter the Gaza Strip.
A decision by the court on whether Israel is committing genocide will take years. The court will, however, decide whether Israel should end the war with Hamas in the meantime. The court does not have the ability to force Israel to implement such a decision.
Thom Canters
