Israel To Self-Defense At The International Court Of Justice On The Genocide Case

The Israeli military in Gaza. (Source: Israel Defense Forces)

JAKARTA - Israel on Tuesday decided to attend a trial at the International Court (ICJ) in The Hague, the Netherlands, to defend itself for a genocide crime case filed by South Africa.

According to Israeli public broadcaster KAN, the decision came after intensive discussions between top Israeli officials and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"Israel has signed a convention against genocide for decades, and we certainly will not boycott the process, but will stand up and reject conspiracy plans against us," Israel's national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said in a statement quoted by ANTARA from Anadolu, Tuesday, January 2.

The Haaretz Daily said the military and the Israeli Attorney General's Office were starting to prepare for how to deal with the case at ICJ.

Last week, Israel's Foreign Ministry strongly condemned South Africa for starting legal action at the ICJ to investigate genocide crimes in the Gaza Strip and described South Africa's actions as "dirty slander" against Israel.

South Africa previously filed a request for legal proceedings against Israel regarding alleged violations committed by Israel of its obligations based on the Genocide Crime Prevention and Punishion Convention in connection with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, ICJ said in a press release.

Israel has been involved, is involved, and is at risk of further involvement in genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, the African country said.

Israel has hit the Gaza Strip since the cross-border attack by the Palestinian Hamas group on October 7. At least 22,185 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed and 58,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli attack also caused destruction in Gaza, where 60 percent of the infrastructure in the enclave was damaged or destroyed, and nearly 2 million of its population fled amid food shortages, clean water, and medicines.