CAPE TOWN – South Africa said that Israel can not claim its attacks on Gaza were in defence of the Israeli state because it’s waging a war in an area under its own control.
South Africa’s legal team of six lawyers have now wrapped up their oral arguments in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, claiming Israel’s attacks on Gaza have been launched with genocidal intent.
British advocate, Vaughan Lowe, has told the court Israel’s claim of flushing out Hamas targets was not an acceptable defence for the killings of over 23,000 Palestinian civilians after the Palestinian militant group killed over 1,200 Israelis and is still keeping more than 100 people hostage.
READ MORE:
• Hatred towards Palestinians embedded in fabric of Israeli society, ICJ hears
• Last 13 weeks of Gaza attacks evidence of genocide in the making, SA tells ICJ
• SA kicks off oral arguments at ICJ to immediately stop Israel’s attacks on Gaza
Advocate Vaughan Lowe has responded to South Africa’s critics for not insisting that Hamas also be ordered to stop its attacks on Israel.
He told the world’s top court that South Africa was unable to bring a case against the Palestinian group because it’s neither a state, nor a party to the UN Genocide Convention.
“There are other bodies and processes that can address the process of steps that can be taken in respect of past atrocities and against actors.”
Lowe has also rebutted Israel’s justification for its continued war on Gaza.
“Months of continuous bombing, flattening entire residential blocks and cutting off food and water and electricity, and communication to an entire population can not credibly be argued to be a manhunt for members of Hamas.”
Israel will present its arguments on Friday.