1/2/2024–|Last updated: 1/2/202401:33 AM (Mecca time)
Israeli media said that Israel decided to appear before the International Court of Justice to respond to a lawsuit filed by South Africa to sue Israel for committing genocide crimes in the Gaza Strip.
Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported that the Israeli army and political parties held several meetings recently to discuss dealing with South Africa’s lawsuit.
The International Court of Justice – based in The Hague in the Netherlands – said last Friday that it had received a request from South Africa to file a lawsuit against Israel for violating the Genocide Convention. The lawsuit stated that Israel “carried out actions aimed at ethnic cleansing in Gaza.”
The South African move comes after the martyrdom of more than 21,000 Palestinians – most of them women and children – in the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip since last October 7.
For its part, Israel considered that South Africa’s claim “lacks a factual and legal basis and constitutes a despicable and insulting exploitation of the court.”
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said, “South Africa is cooperating with a terrorist organization calling for the destruction of the State of Israel.”
The Israeli Foreign Ministry accused the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, and said it was responsible for the suffering of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Israel called on the International Court of Justice and the international community to “totally reject South Africa’s baseless allegations,” it said.
