Yesterday, Sunday, an Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman confirmed what was stated in media reports about Israel’s intention to send the former judge of the Israeli Supreme Court, Aharon Barak, to participate in the hearing before the International Court of Justice, which will consider the case brought by South Africa against Israel, accusing it of committing crimes. Genocide in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the appointment of Aharon Barak, 87 years old and a Holocaust survivor, to the Israeli panel of judges.
The Israeli media widely circulated news about Barak joining the Israeli panel of judges, which is a distinctive feature of the International Court of Justice in The Hague, where each of the plaintiff and defendant states can include a judge of their own to join the 15 judges who make up the composition of the court.
This news was surprising, especially since Barak himself was among the people who openly criticized the judicial reform that Netanyahu’s government tried to pass last year, despite strong opposition.
Barak had described the proposed reorganization of the judicial system as a “tank coup” that could turn Israel into a “hollow democracy.”
The Times of Israel newspaper indicated that Aharon Barak enjoys wide respect on the international scene, and that Netanyahu took the decision to appoint him based on the recommendation of the Attorney General of Israel, Gali Baharav Meara.
The international issue between South Africa and Israel
Three months after the Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip, Israel must appear for the first time before the International Court of Justice, due to its ongoing military operation.
South Africa filed a lawsuit against Israel before the highest court of the United Nations, accusing it of committing genocide. The court set the dates of January 11 and 12 to hold the hearings.
It is noteworthy that the decisions of the International Court of Justice are generally binding, but the judges do not have the authority to impose the implementation of these rulings on the state.
South Africa is focusing its lawsuit on the genocide convention signed by the two countries. For its part, South Africa believes that UN judges must first issue an order to quickly end the war against the Palestinians to protect their rights.
On the other hand, Israel strongly denied the accusations made by South Africa. Israel asserts that Hamas is solely responsible for the suffering of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and claims that it is doing its best in the war to reduce damage among the civilian population.
Since the “Al-Aqsa Flood,” Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza, which has so far resulted in the death of 22,835 Palestinians and the injury of 58,416 others, most of whom are children and women. This war caused massive destruction of infrastructure and left an “unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe,” according to Palestinian and international reports.
