At the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Friday, Israel responded to a public emergency hearing called for by South Africa, accusing Israel of violating the 1946 Genocide Convention by dismissing its claims.
“This case, even by its very name… suggests an inversion of reality… and the obscene exploitation of the most sacred convention… calling something a genocide again and again doesn’t make it genocide. Repeating a lie does not make it true,” Israel’s Deputy Attorney General for International Law Gilad Noam said in his opening remarks.
Noam said the picture South Africa has been painting over the last five months is “completely divorced from the facts and circumstances.” He spoke of the “difficult and tragic armed conflict” Israel is engaged in, asking the court to “respect the predicament” it is in.
“Armed conflict is not synonymous to genocide,” he said.
He said that Israel was surprised by South Africa’s emergency hearing notification and requested a postponement to ensure adequate representation. However, the court denied this request.
South Africa told the ICJ on Thursday that Rafah is the last refuge for civilians in Gaza. In response, Noam stated that while civilians have been evacuated to Rafah, it is also a “focal point for ongoing terrorist activity.”
South Africa told the court on Thursday that “if Rafah falls, so too does Gaza,” to which Israel said the opposite is true.
He accused South Africa of “exploiting the court and its authority” with its “baseless claims” and “evidence that does not exist,” saying “not every media report represents facts.”
Remember: As in previous hearings at the ICJ, Israel insisted it is acting in accordance with international law in Gaza.
