Israel defends itself in UN against genocide charges against Palestinians

Charged for committing genocide against Palestinians, Israel defended his war in Gaza in presenting to the UN's highest court on Friday, a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed the charges of genocide.

Israel, which was founded after the Holocaust, has strongly denied accusations brought by South Africa in one of the biggest cases ever presented before an international court. The case has attracted international attention and sparked protests before the court, on both sides.

South African lawyers urged the court Thursday to order the immediate ban on Israeli military operations on the surrounded territory, where 2.3 million Palestinians live. A decision on this requirement will probably take weeks, though the full issue is likely to last several years.

We live at a time when words are free, in an era of social media and identity policies. Attempting to demand the most vicious and insulting term has been made, for many, uninhibited”, Israeli legal adviser Tal Becker said at the packed World Court hall in The Hague.

He added that South Africa “has presented a deeply distorted view to the court. The overallity of its case depends on a decontacted and manipulating description of the reality of current hostilities”.

In his opening statement to the International Court of Justice on Friday, Becker sought to drop the case, calling it “a libel”.

He told the court that the Palestinian group, declared terrorist organisation by the United States and the European Union, began violence with its October 7th surprise attack in Israel, in which more than 1,200 people were killed, while in court, the images of people killed were displayed.

He also showed the court the video of Hamas' official Ghazi Hamad, who vowed to continue attacks with the intention of destroying Israel.

“If there is a threat to Palestinian Gaza civilians, it stems primarily from the fact that they have lived under the control of a genocide terrorist organisation that has total disregard for their life and welfare”, Becker said.

On the second day of the hearing at The Hague, Israel argued that its offensive in Gaza is legitimate self-defense, not genocide.

Lawyer Malcolm Shaw defended Israel from charges of genocide, saying Israel's severe offensive in Gaza was a legitimate use of the armed force for self-defense.

Shaw, the second of the six members of the Israeli legal team to speak, said the high death toll is not genocide.

He said the true “genocide” occurred when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on October 7th, killing about 1,200 people.

Israel often boycotts international courts and UN investigations, saying they are unfair and unilateral. To show how seriously they view the occasion, however, Israelite leaders have taken the rare step of sending a high - level legal team.

At the heart of this case are Israel's actions in Gaza, where a massive air and ground attack was launched after Hamas militants declared the Palestinian group terrorist organisation by the United States and the European Union attacked Israel on October 7th, killing about 1,200 people, mainly civilians. They also kidnapped about 250 people, more than half of whom are still held hostage.

More than 23,000 people in Gaza have been killed during the war, according to the Ministry of Health on Hamas-controlled territory. Nearly 85 percent of Gaza's inhabitants have been expelled from their homes, a quarter of the territory's inhabitants face hunger, and most of the northern Gaza has been reduced to ruins.

South Africa says it constitutes genocide and is part of Israeli oppression for decades, against Palestinians.

The collapse of Gaza, targeting family homes and civilians, the war as a fight against children all make clear that the genocide purpose is understood and put into practice. The artifact is the destruction of Palestinian life”, lawyer Tembeka Nakuquitobi said in opening statements Thursday.

Netanyah rejected these arguments.

“This is a overthrown world ʹ the state of Israel accused of genocide while fighting genocide”, the prime minister said Thursday in a video statement. South Africa's “Hypocrisan reaches the sky”, he added.

Israel says it is acting in legitimate self - defense.

International agreements still impose countries with the rules of war, even if they respond to an attack, however serious it may be. The court must decide whether Israel's operations are really stuck within these restrictions.

Although court findings are considered mandatory, it was unclear whether Israel would consider any orders to stop fighting. If he does not do so, he may face UN sanctions, though they may be blocked by a veto of the United States, Israel's staunch ally.

The White House refused to comment on how the court can answer whether Israel has committed genocide. But National Security Council spokesman John Kirby called the charges unbased “ ”. / REL/