JAKARTA - Israel acknowledged the war in Gaza, Palestine was tragic but said there was no genocide there, when answering South African accusations during a trial at the International Court (ICJ), The Hague, Netherlands, on Friday, asking the judge to cancel requests for a halt to operations in Rafah and withdraw troops from Palestinian territory.
Israeli Justice Ministry official Gilad Noam in the trial said the South African case, which accused Israel of violating the Genocide Convention, was "completely not in accordance with the facts and circumstances".
"(This case) is a joke against allegations of heinous genocide," Noam said, as reported by Reuters on May 17.
He further called it "the indecent exploitation of the holiest convention", referring to international agreements prohibiting genocide, agreed after the Holocaust against European Jews in the Second World War.
The Convention requires all countries to act to prevent genocide, and the ICJ, also known as the World Court, which is adjudicated by disputes between countries, has concluded this gives South Africa the right to file the case.
"There is a tragic war going on, but there is no genocide in Gaza," Noam said.
In previous decisions, the court rejected Israel's demands to overturn the case, ordering Israel to prevent genocide against Palestinians, but did not order Israel to stop the attack.
Noam said Israel's military operations were not aimed at civilians, but at Hamas terrorists who used Rafah as its stronghold, which has a tunnel system that can be used to smuggle hostages and militants out of Gaza.
An example of an alleged violation committed by Israel filed by South Africa is "not evidence of illegal behavior policies, let alone genocide policies," said Noam.
"Ordered Israel to withdraw its troops will punish the remaining hostages in Gaza," Noam said.
Meanwhile, the proceedings were interrupted by the action of a woman protester who shouted "lies" inside the courtroom, when Israeli delegation member Tamar Kaplan Tourgeman concluded her statement, quoted from The Times of Israel, before she was expelled from the courtroom by court security officers.
Outside the trial, a number of pro-Israel protesters gathered showing photos of hostages taken by Hamas militants on October 7 and demanding their release, before Israel delivered the answer.
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It is known, ICJ held a trial for two days starting yesterday, in connection with South Africa's request for additional emergency action to protect Rafah in southern Gaza, as part of the alleged genocide case in the Palestinian enclave.
This week's hearing only focused on emergency measures and will likely take years, before the court can decide on the underlying genocide allegations.
Decisions regarding requests for emergency action are expected to be taken next week.
The ICJ's decision and order are binding and cannot be appealed. Although the court has no way to enforce it, the order imposed on a country can damage the country's international reputation and become a legal precedent.
"שקרנים": מפגינה הפריעה לסיכום דבריה של נציגת ישראל בהאג@RamEliBrandts pic.twitter.com/FAajO7LRIi
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"You can't believe it": "Let's watch it," said Ram EliBrandts pic.twitter.com/FAajO7LRii
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