Israel asks the ICJ to throw out SA’s ‘curated and inaccurate’ genocide case

The deaths incurred in this entire incident are really shocking. None of them would have happened if Hamas had not attacked Israel without any warning or specific reason. They planned this and the subsequent inevitable Israeli response.

In terms of the headline to this article, if the judges in this matter were to 'throw out' the matter on a technicality ... rather than the substance of the issue ... they would be guilty of doing the administration of justice ... a grave disservice.

It is unfortunate that Haffajee was incapable of reporting on Israel’s response to South Africa’s charges without revealing her personal bias. To say that 23k Palestinians have died without mentioning that about 8,000 were Hamas combatants suggests that the war is against the Palestinian people. The truth is that a 2:1 ratio of civilians to combatants is low relative to most modern wars. Haffajee’s calling Israel’s evidence of Hamas using hospital infrastructure as “Never independently verified,” but quoting Hamas’s figures as the gospel also show her bias. (Would she suggest that Hamas would not or has not done such a thing,) Haffajee’s one sided reporting shows the same curated and inaccurate approach as South Africa’s representatives did at the ICJ. What she seems not to get is that the implication of her embellishment is that without it, the argument made by Israel would win.

Israel said it had killed 8500 terrorists in Gaza and 1000 in Israel on Oct7th. We also know that a missed fired rocket by the IPJ killed 500 in the ground of a mosque. Hamas does not distinguish between civilians and terrorists killed, even some of their teenagers were classed as children. They are the worst type of liars trying to fool all that that they are victims and Israelis are agressors.

How many civilian casualties were suffered by all sides in the Second World War, in Vietnam, the invasions of Afghanistan by both Russia and the USA, Iraq, Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine, and every regional and local conflict in between? War is bloody and dirty. Innocent people die. Children die, babies die. Certainly Israeli civilians, children and babies died when the Hamas terrorists invaded. Undoubtedly and inevitably greater numbers of Palestinian civilians, children and babies have died since. The propaganda from both sides cannot obfuscate the reality and arguments about numbers are pointless. I do find it jaw droppingly staggering that a country like South Africa that cannot adequately feed, house, provide utilities to or protect its own people from violent crime or the rampant corruption and criminality of its political leaders can still claim the moral high ground in relation to any other country. This legal action against Israel is a political stunt, doomed to fail and a further waste of resources that should be more appropriately directed to compel South Africa’s political leadership to address their own moral and political failures.

As a South African of 93 years, I have inevitably lived to see many wicked/foolish acts committed by a SA government. I haven't witnessed any of such acts equalling my disapproval/disgust as the vast SA "legal" team presently performs at The Hague, before what is mistakenlydesignated as an International Criminal Court of "Justice". My reasons: 1] Israel is busy committing a legitimate act of war 2] The war is waged by Israel against an evil terrorist body in the form of Hamas, the only one which could rightly be convicted of striving for genocide of the Jews; 3] The Court, before which Israel is bound to appear, is a disreputable body set up by the United Nations, which itself has for almost its entire life earned little or no record of achieving justice and peace in the world, and 4] Worst of all, that such is the composition of the relevant court, the judgement of the court will be likely to find in favour of the government of our country, which itself has demonstrated time and time again to be that is has been riddled with corruption, misdeeds and incompetence. Long retired Acting Judge Andrew Lang S.C.

There is no doubt that the bloodshed needs to be stopped in Palestine. I support that, but to think that we understand the conflict that has been Israel/Palestine for more than 70 years is naive. Ever since I can remember it has been a cycle of attack and retaliation and that has been going around and around. Something has to be done vastly differently to stop that. Taking hostages, raping, torturing and murdering on both sides is unacceptable. What I do find rather peculiar is that South Africa decides to point fingers at Israel with an accusation of genocide. Last I checked, thousands of farmers have systematically been killed INSIDE South Africa's borders since 1994. Just because South Africa is not in an official "war" doesn't make that any less of a genocide by the very definition of the word. How about we first get our own house in order by actually dealing with the rampant violent crime within South Africa before going about grand-standing on the world stage? Our very own majority political parties are singing songs like "Kill the Boer" and "Bring me my machine (gun)", which are then conventiently not classed as hate speech. How blatantly arrogant and denialist can it get? Get your own house in order before you dare to go pointing fingers at others.

Hamas’ avowed intent is the total destruction of the State of Israel. If that is not reason to dismiss South Africa’s mendacious court action, then the law is an Ass. The brutality of the Hamas attack on the 7th October beggars belief - that was definitely a precursor to genocide. They are a genocidal terrorist organisation pure and simple.

A few comments from my side….an entity (whether a terrorist organization or sovereign state does not matter) commit barbaric acts against the population of a nearby state after being repeatedly warned that there will be consequences. This entity then chose to use their own civilians to be their human shield against retaliation actions of the nearby sovereign state. They also continue to fire missiles at the general population of the nearby state. The nearby state decide that enough is enough and the best option of retaliation is to go for the total annihilation of the entity (mentioned in my first sentence). In the process thousands of civilians are being killed either directly or indirectly (starvation, lack of medical care etc.). There are definitely two parties in the wrong here albeit for different reasons. If the rest of the world wants to intervene to stop the killing of civilians in both countries they need to force both parties in this battle to stop (Israel and Hamas…representing Palestine). Whether this can be enforced is impossible to say. Trying to force the hand of just one side is a waste of time. Now is the time for high level mediation but it seems nobody (so far) has shown an appetite for this. The rest of the world (including our government) should be ashamed that they turned to choosing sides rather than try to solve this conflict. In the process more and more division is caused (just read through the comments on this article) and what do we achieve with this attitude? Secondly it is saddening to see the lack of common sense and decency displayed in the arguments by so many commenting on this article. Using expletives to argue a case or to call people names will never contribute to positive debate. If you disagree with someone tell them you disagree and the reasons for your opinion. Adult debate is there to try and persuade people that your opinion is the most valid one by using common sense, logic and facts and not by swearing and deliberately offending/insulting other parties. Just my 2 cents…..

It's a relief to hear what Israel has to say . In its defence and response...as with everything that has happened in these past 100 plus days has been, in defence of itself ..The behaviour, murder ,rape and the war itself started by the very Hamas that Palestinians voted in themselves ..to govern and shows the obvious hatred that the Arab( always ) has had toward the Jews .. if only someone would open a Bible or a secular history book of the ancient and more modern history of the Jewish people . But ....... This is all a thoroughly spiritual battle ,and always has been ....One filled with hatred toward another ... Good to read the sense heard from the defence given by the Israeli lawyers ..Again ... defending itself for something they did not want in the first place ...attack !!!