Israel Opens Defense Against Genocide Charge at International Court in The Hague
The case could take years to be decided, but there may be major short-term implications for Israel's war in Gaza
Published 01/12/24 05:02 AM ET|Updated 2 hr ago
Tom Nagorski and Nikhil Kumar
Israel started its defense against the charge that it has committed genocide against civilians in Gaza Friday, a day after South Africa brought the case to the International Court of Justice at the Hague.
Israel fiercely disputed the accusations since they were made public, but Friday’s presentation marked the first formal rebuttal by Israeli lawyers.
"If there were acts of genocide, they have been perpetrated against Israel," said Israel's lead attorney, foreign ministry adviser Tal Becker.
He described the "wholesale massacre, mutilation, rape, and abduction" by Hamas on Oct. 7. "If there were acts of genocide, they have been perpetrated against Israel," Becker said.
Becker showed an interview with Hamas official Ghazi Hamad in which he vowed the Oct. 7 attack against Israel was just the beginning, vowing to launch "a second, a third, a fourth" attack until the country is "annihilated."
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