Axios reported that the Israeli Foreign Ministry sent urgent telegrams to its embassies to mobilize international pressure against the “genocide” lawsuit in the Gaza Strip accused of before the International Court of Justice.
The American website indicated that Israel is seeking to mobilize this pressure to thwart the lawsuit filed by South Africa against it before the International Court of Justice on charges of committing genocide in Gaza, and to avoid a temporary decision from the court to stop the fighting immediately.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry directed embassies to persuade local diplomats and politicians to make statements against South Africa’s lawsuit.
The International Court of Justice in The Hague is scheduled to hold public hearings to consider the case on January 11 and 12.
Last week, South Africa filed a lawsuit before the International Court of Justice, accusing Tel Aviv of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip. Israel, in turn, attacked South Africa, describing its move as a “blood conspiracy.”
South Africa asked the court to issue an urgent order declaring that Israel is violating its obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention in its war on the Gaza Strip, while Israel said it would appear before the court to challenge the accusation.
Three months after its aggression against the Gaza Strip, Israel must respond before an international court for the first time due to the ongoing war that has left, to date, about 23,000 martyrs and more than 57,000 injured, most of them women and children.
In this context, last Thursday, Israel appointed British Professor Malcolm Shaw, who is considered one of the world’s most famous experts in the field of international law, to represent it before the International Court of Justice in The Hague to confront the case brought by South Africa.
The rulings of the International Court of Justice are legally binding, but the court’s judges do not have the authority to force any country to implement the rulings.
Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice was established in June 1945, and is the main judicial body of the United Nations. It began its activities in April 1946 at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the administrative capital of the Netherlands.
The court’s main tasks include resolving legal disputes that arise between states in accordance with international law, and issuing legal guidance on the interpretation and application of international agreements.
The court, which deals only with disputes between states, consists of 15 judges who serve for 9-year terms and are jointly elected by the UN General Assembly and the Security Council. The United Nations covers all expenses of the International Court of Justice.
