Israel’s legal team ripped apart the accusations of genocide against the IDF made by South Africa at the UN’s top court. The response came following South Africa’s claim, presented at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), that Israel’s war in response to Hamas’s October 7 terror onslaught was a genocidal campaign targeting the Palestinian population. Israel’s Foreign Ministry legal adviser opened the second day of hearings by dismissing South Africa’s allegations as “a grossly distorted story,” with “curated” allegations. “If there were acts of genocide, they have been perpetrated against Israel,” Becker asserted, challenging the notion that Israel lacks the right to self-defense against Hamas. He further argued that the civilian suffering in the conflict is a result of Hamas’s strategy of using innocents as shields. Professor Malcolm Shaw, speaking after Becker, emphasized the difference between armed conflict and genocide. “Not every conflict is genocidal. The crime of genocide in international law and under the Genocide Convention is a uniquely malicious manifestation and stands alone among violations of international law as the zenith of evil, the crime of crimes, ultimate in wickedness,” he said. Shaw criticized South Africa’s presentation for distorting Israeli politicians’ comments to suggest genocidal intent and highlighted the IDF’s efforts to distinguish between military and civilian targets. South Africa, which initiated the lawsuit at the ICJ, asked the court to impose emergency measures to halt Israel’s offensive. Israel has rejected the genocide claims, labeling them baseless and accusing South Africa of representing Hamas’s interests. Israel maintains that its actions target Hamas terrorists, not civilians, though civilian casualties are an inevitable consequence of Hamas operating within populated areas. The Israeli defense team aimed to demonstrate that any extreme remarks by Israeli officials have not influenced war policy and to present evidence of Hamas’s use of Gazans as human shields. Israel was also expected to present testimonies from the October 7 attack by Hamas, in which approximately 3,000 terrorists crossed the border, killing around 1,200 people and taking over 240 hostages. The ICJ is set to rule on possible emergency measures later this month but will not decide on the genocide allegations at that time – a process that could take years. The court’s decisions are final and without appeal, and while it has no enforcement mechanism, ignoring its rulings can have significant international implications. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)