Axios said that it had obtained a copy of a cable issued by the Israeli Foreign Ministry that included instructions to its embassies to pressure diplomats and politicians in their host countries to issue statements against the case brought by South Africa before the International Court of Justice, in which Israel is accused of committing genocide in Gaza.
The cable outlines the Israeli diplomatic plan of action before next week’s “International Justice” session, by exerting international pressure on the court not to issue a judicial order ordering Israel to suspend its war on Gaza.
South Africa filed the case last week, and says – in its 84-page report – that the military campaign in Gaza violates Israel’s obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention.
That convention defines genocide as “acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group,” stressing that Israel’s actions in Gaza “are considered to be of a genocidal character because they aim to destroy a large portion” of the Palestinian population in the Strip.
Big repercussions
Israel immediately rejected the case as “unfounded,” but unlike previous cases in international courts, it decided to appear before the court because it is a signatory to the Genocide Convention, and there it will be represented by British lawyer Malcolm Shaw.
South Africa has asked the court to take urgent interim measures, including ordering Israel to suspend its military campaign in Gaza, for the duration of the case.
It is clear from the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s cable that Israel’s “strategic goal” is for the court to reject the request to issue a judicial order, refrain from determining that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, and acknowledge that the Israeli army operates in the Strip in accordance with international law.
The cable stated that “the court’s ruling may have major political, economic and security repercussions, not just legal,” and therefore it confirms that “we request an immediate and unequivocal public statement along the lines of the following: that you say publicly and clearly that your country rejects the outrageous, ridiculous and baseless accusations against “Israel.”
The cable says that under the 1948 convention, genocide is defined as the creation of conditions that do not permit the survival of a population with the intention of exterminating it. Hence, emphasizing Israel’s efforts to increase humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza and reduce the number of civilians killed is “critical.”
Binding provisions
In the cable, Israeli embassies were instructed to ask diplomats and politicians at the highest levels to “publicly acknowledge that Israel is working to increase humanitarian aid to Gaza, as well as reduce harm to civilians, and that it is acting in self-defense.”
Israeli ambassadors were also instructed to work urgently to obtain such statements before the session starting on January 11, and were told that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would send messages to dozens of world leaders along the same lines.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said, “We view this offer as baseless and counterproductive, with no basis in reality at all,” but countries that support the Palestinians, including Turkey and Jordan, have backed the issue.
Although International Justice orders are binding, they are difficult to implement, especially since Russia rejected a court order last year to stop its invasion of Ukraine.