Accused of committing genocide against Palestinians, Israel is due to defend its war on Gaza in front of the United Nations' highest court on Friday.
Israel has vehemently denied the accusations brought by South Africa in one of the biggest cases ever to come before an international court. South African lawyers asked the court on Thursday to order an immediate halt to Israeli military operations in besieged Gaza.
Israel often boycotts international tribunals and UN investigations, saying they are unfair and biased. But, in a sign of how seriously they regard the case, Israeli leaders have taken the rare step of sending a legal team and engaging with the International Court of Justice to defend themselves.
South African lawyers argued that the war is part of decades of Israeli oppression against Palestinians.
Distinctiveness
“The scale of destruction in Gaza the targeting of family homes and civilians, the war being a war on children — all make clear that genocidal intent is both understood and has been put into practice. The articulated intent is the destruction of Palestinian life,” lawyer Tembeka Ngcukaitobi said in opening statements Thursday.
The case’s “distinctive feature” was “the reiteration and repetition of genocidal speech throughout every sphere of the state in Israel,” he said.
The case strikes at the heart of Israel’s national identity and goes to the core of one of the world's most intractable conflicts, AP news agency reports.
More than 23,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed during the military attacks, according to the the Health Ministry in the territory.
“Nothing will stop the suffering except an order from this court,” South African lawyer Adila Hassim told the judges in a packed room of the Peace Palace in The Hague.
Binding findings
A decision on South Africa's request for “provisional measures” will probably take weeks. The full case is likely to last years.
Israel launched its massive air and ground assault on Gaza soon after a deadly attack by Hama on October 7. Three months later, the Israeli offensive has driven nearly 85% of Gaza’s population from their homes.
With only a trickle of food, water, medicine and other supplies entering through an Israeli siege, a quarter of the territory's residents face starvation. And much of northern Gaza, including Gaza City, has been reduced to a moonscape.
Although the court's findings are considered binding, it was unclear whether Israel would heed any order to halt the fighting. If it doesn’t, it could face UN sanctions, although those may be blocked by a United States veto.
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