Here you have it from the horses mouth:
Israeli justice ministry official
Gilad Noam told an
International Court of Justice (ICJ) hearing on Friday that
South Africa’s charge of genocide was “an obscene exploitation of the most sacred convention,” referring to the international treaty banning genocide, agreed after the Holocaust 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 hears disputes between states, has concluded that this gives South Africa a right to make the case.
According to Reuters, Noam said that Israel’s military operations were not aimed at civilians, but at
Hamas terrorists using
Rafah as a stronghold, who have tunnel systems which could be used to smuggle hostages and militants out of
Gaza.
Examples of alleged violations by Israel raised by South Africa were “not evidence a policy of illegal behaviour, let alone a policy of genocide”, he said. Ordering Israel to withdraw its troops would sentence remaining hostages in
Gaza to death, Noam added.
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