The Hague hearing held as South Africa accuses Israel of ‘genocide’ in war with Hamas

 

• THE HAGUE — Seventeen black-robed judges filed into the Palace of Peace at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague, Netherlands, on Thursday as the court opened hearings initiated by South Africa against Israel on charges of “genocide” against Palestinians during the ongoing war in Gaza.

The bench comprises 15 permanent judges and the two ad hoc judges from Israel and South Africa — former Israeli Supreme Court president Aharon Barak and South Africa’s former deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke, who were sworn in by ICJ President Judge Joan Donoghue.

Donoghue then read out the allegations made by South Africa in its application against Israel under the Genocide Convention, with a court official noting South Africa is initially asking the International Court of Justice to order an immediate suspension of Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip as the first step in a case that is likely to take years to resolve. READ MORE