Israel to appear before International Court of Justice to face genocide case today

SHAH ALAM - The proceedings instituted by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza will commence today (Thursday, Jan 11).

According to the ICJ website, the two-day hearing will be held at the Peace Palace in The Hague.

South Africa will submit their oral arguments today while Israel will submit theirs, the next day (Jan 12).

South Africa filed an application instituting proceedings against Israel seeking the ICJ to order Israel to stop its onslaught in Gaza immediately.

This aligned with mounting international pressure on Israel over its prolonged offensive in Gaza which has now entered its fourth month.

In the 84-page application, the country alleged that "The acts and omissions by Israel complained of by South Africa are genocidal in character because they are intended to bring about the destruction of a substantial part of the Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group.”

This, it claimed was a violation of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Genocide Convention).

ICJ said South Africa is seeking the court to indicate provisional measures to protect against further, severe and irreparable harm to the rights of the Palestinian people under the Genocide Convention and to ensure Israel’s compliance with its obligations under the Convention to not engage in genocide and to prevent and to punish genocide.

The application was filed on Dec 29, last year.

International news agencies reported that it could be months or even years before the ICJ delivers a ruling in the case, but in the immediate term, South Africa was calling for an interim order for a ceasefire from the court, which could be delivered in the coming weeks.

South Africa's move to file the case represented one of the few avenues for an international body to make a clear statement about Israel’s actions in Gaza.

It also reflected the country’s historic support for Palestinians, dating back to Nelson Mandela's anti-apartheid days.

Meanwhile, in a quick response, Israel rejected the application calling it ‘blood libel’, a reference to a false accusation originated in the Middle Ages that Jewish people would murder Christians and use their blood in rituals and which was used as a justification for oppression of Jewish communities.

South Africa's filing may not affect the outcome of the war in any meaningful way, but it does draw on longstanding ties between Black South Africans’ liberation struggle and that of the Palestinian people.

It also signaled the country’s desire to challenge the United States-dominated international order that it saw as unfair to African and non-Western interests.

Former United Kingdom (UK) opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn will join South Africa's delegation at the ICJ, today.

Corbyn criticised the British government for not taking a similar stance.

Israel continues its attacks across the Gaza Strip following Hamas fighters’ operation on Oct 7, last year.

The latest Palestinian death toll (as of Jan 10) stands 23,357, which included more than 9,600 children.