Israel faces Gaza 'genocide' case at U.N. top court
The Hindu
Israel and South Africa face off at the UN’s top court from Thursday, after Pretoria accused Israel of “genocidal acts” in Gaza, charges the Israelis have dismissed as “blood libel”
Israel and South Africa face off at the UN's top court from Thursday, after Pretoria accused Israel of "genocidal acts" in Gaza, charges the Israelis have dismissed as "blood libel".
In an 84-page submission to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), South Africa urged judges to order Israel to "immediately suspend its military operations" in Gaza.
South Africa alleges that Israel "has engaged in, is engaging in, and risks further engaging in genocidal acts against the Palestinian people in Gaza".
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Israel has angrily hit back at the accusations, with government spokesman Eylon Levy vowing to fight the South African case he described as "absurd blood libel".
"How tragic that the rainbow nation that prides itself on fighting racism will be fighting pro bono for anti-Jewish racists," Mr. Levy added.
"No, South Africa, it is not we who have come to perpetrate genocide, it is Hamas," Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
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