South Africa vs Israel: ICJ hears Gaza genocide accusations

The International Court of Justice opened a hearing on Thursday with South Africa accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. 

South Africa is attempting to prove that Israel has committed genocidal acts as well as incited to genocide in Gaza.

An attorney for South Africa, Adila Hassim, claimed Israel has “transgressed Article II of the (genocide) convention, by actions which show a systematic pattern of conduct from which genocide can be inferred. Palestinians in Gaza are being killed by Israeli weaponry and bombs from air, land and sea.”

“They are also at immediate risk of death from starvation and disease, due to the destruction of Palestinians towns, the limited aid being allowed in, and the impossibility of distributing aid as the bombs fall. This makes life impossible. It is not necessary for the court to come to a final view whether Israel’s conduct constitutes genocide but only whether some of the acts might possibly be considered within the convention’s provisions,” she added.

Hassim claimed that Israel “deliberately imposed considerations on Gaza calculated to bring about the physical destruction of the people.”

South Africa also refers to remarks made by Israeli government officials, claiming genocidal rhetoric. A remark by Defence Minister Yoav Gallant was highlighted in court in which he said: “There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed. We are fighting human animals, and we will act accordingly.”

Israel has rejected South Africa’s claims outright, accusing the African country of blood libels and collaborating with Hamas. On Friday, Israel will defend itself in court.

The U.S., UK, and Germany have all criticised South Africa for taking Israel to court. Washington called South Africa’s case “meritless” and “counterproductive and completely without any basis in fact whatsoever.”

UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron also distanced himself from South Africa’s claims, saying: “I don’t think that is helpful, I don’t agree with it, I don’t think it’s right.”

“The fact is that genocide, by definition, presupposes the intention to destroy, in whole or in part, members of a national, ethnic, racial or religious group because of their membership in this group. I cannot see this intention in Israel’s self-defence against the armed terrorist organisation Hamas,” German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said on Thursday ahead of the hearing,

Law experts from around the world have stressed the difficulty in proving genocide, and that a final verdict could take years.