International law expert Dr. Saad Jabbar said that Israel’s defense team’s plea – today, Friday – before the International Court of Justice in the lawsuit filed against it by South Africa on charges of genocide in the Gaza Strip seemed very weak and had major gaps, expecting the court to issue precautionary measures within weeks.
Jabbar explained – during his speech to Tel Aviv Tribune – that the Israeli defense representative revealed clear weakness during the response to South Africa’s lawsuit in The Hague, noting that he repeated the official statements of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that Tel Aviv has the right to defend itself and its citizens.
Jabbar pointed out that Israel’s main defense lawyer gave the impression that Tel Aviv would demand that the court lack “jurisdiction,” and there are clear indications that it will try with all its might not to allow the case to pass for consideration of its substance by appealing for formal reasons and South Africa’s failure to meet the conditions of the case.
He pointed out that Israel is trying to claim that there is no formal basis for the genocide claim, and that the court does not have the right to order Israel to take temporary measures at the current stage, stressing that this is its greatest fear.
Jabbar warned that the Israeli defense wants to ask the court – indirectly – that it has no jurisdiction to issue temporary measures, but he added that the court will not accept Israel’s demand, and will consider South Africa’s request, and will find no choice but to issue precautionary measures.
If this happens – according to Jabbar – it will be considered a real victory, and will increase regional and global pressure on Israel, and the latter’s allies will find it difficult to continue supporting it, because the International Court of Justice is a strong judicial platform and has great influence.
Jabbar stressed that the genocide lawsuit is more internationally binding than the advisory decision, as happened in the case of the apartheid wall in the West Bank, where its opinion at the time was advisory, before saying that the failure to implement court orders by Israel is “another matter.”
He pointed out that the court would not be fooled by the tricks of Israel or its allies by demanding a halt to the fighting, expressing his conviction that it would issue its decision on South Africa’s urgent request, within a period ranging between 4 and 8 weeks.
The atmosphere of The Hague and Tel Aviv
In turn, Tel Aviv Tribune’s correspondent in The Hague, Muhammad Al-Baqali, conveyed the atmosphere accompanying the international tribunal, and said, “The demonstrators who gathered denounced the allegations Israel made during the pleading that it was forced to wage war on Gaza, and denied the accusation of genocide.”
The reporter also quoted specialists in international law, saying that what Israel presented does not withstand much of what is happening, “because international law prohibits genocide, and prevents depriving the population of water and food, and exposing them to death,” noting that Israel faces a major legal impasse and for the first time finds itself in a cage. Accusation and international isolation.
As for the director of Tel Aviv Tribune’s office in Palestine, Walid Al-Omari, he said that there is media and political interest in Israel in the sessions of the International Court of Justice today and yesterday.
Al-Omari explained that Tel Aviv believes that the International Court of Justice is an important platform, and it should not be absent, reviewing what the Israeli legal team touched on, especially the questioning of the credibility of South Africa’s lawsuit.
It is noteworthy that Israel’s legal team asked the International Court of Justice – at the end of its case – to reject South Africa’s lawsuit and reject the interim measures it requested.