Writer Gideon Levy began his article – regarding what happened in the sessions of the International Court of Justice in The Hague regarding the current war on Gaza – with questions and also concluded it with more questions, warning of the Israeli contradiction between words and actions.
Levy says in his questions that began his article in Haaretz newspaper, “If we assume that Israel’s position in The Hague is correct and just, and that Israel has not committed any genocide or anything close to that, then what happened? What do we call the mass killing that continues as of this writing?” Lines without discrimination, without self-control, on a scale that is difficult to imagine?
He continues, “What can we call the dying children in hospitals, some of whom have no one left in the world, and the hungry elderly civilians who are fleeing for their lives from the constant threat of bombs everywhere? Will the legal definition change their fate?”
After asking these questions, Levy says that Israel will breathe a sigh of relief if the court drops the charge, as if our conscience would be clear if The Hague said that this was not genocide, and we would be the most moral in this world, according to the writer.
He adds with amazement that the Israeli media and social media dealt with all admiration and praise for the Israeli legal team in The Hague, almost ignoring the South African position, which was presented in better English, and was more grounded in facts and less in propaganda, which is what made Levy confirm that the media Israel has reached rock bottom in this war.
Although we are talking about a country being tried for the most serious violations of international law, Levy noted that Israel’s lawyers only presented their usual arguments, “some of which are fair, of course, but some of which are laughable,” such as holding the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) solely responsible for… The situation in Gaza is as if our team underestimates the intelligence of the court’s judges, as Levy put it.
The writer was surprised by the statements of the head of the Israeli defense team, Malcolm Shaw, that “Israel’s actions are proportional and target the armed forces only,” highlighting the number of children who were killed, and wondering how disproportionate this could be if all this destruction was proportional? Is it Hiroshima?
Levy wondered about lawyer Galit Regoan’s statement that “the IDF will move the hospitals to a safer place.” Will Al-Shifa Hospital be moved to Sheba? And Rantisi to Soroka? What are the safe places in Gaza that this lawyer is talking about and what hospitals will the Israeli army transfer?
Levy concluded with the following questions: “Are we satisfied with the defense arguments? Will we be comfortable with what will become clear after The Hague, and will we be reassured about our situation after Gaza?”
