South Africa has accused Israel of perpetrating genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza, and the International Court of Justice is currently hearing their case.
Additional requests for the court to halt Israeli military actions in the region are included in the filing.
Although the case is not a criminal trial, the ICJ will only issue an opinion on the genocide accusation; yet, it is receiving considerable attention.
The Israeli government has labeled the charge as "baseless" and has strongly denied it.
As Dutch police battled to separate gatherings of Israeli and Palestinian supporters, tense scenes unfolded outside the ICJ's Peace Palace on Thursday.
Outside the ICJ, hundreds of Palestinian flag-waving protesters demanded an end to the violence. Protesters from Israel erected a screen depicting photos of captives who are still in Gaza's custody.
Cape Town, South Africa, was also the site of pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
On Thursday, South Africa will make its case, and on Friday, Israel will defend it.
According to South Africa's submission, Israel's activities "are intended to bring about the destruction of a substantial part of the Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group."
It alleges that Israel is "killing Palestinians in Gaza, causing them serious bodily and mental harm, and inflicting on them conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction" .
It demands that the court establish "provisional measures" immediately, one of which is that Israel cease all military operations in Gaza.
Speaking in court on Thursday, South Africa's Justice Minister Ronald Lamola stated that no attack "can provide justification for or defend breaches of the [Genocide] Convention." Israel has rationalized its actions in Gaza by claiming they are a response to Hamas's heinous attacks on 7 October.
The 1948 Genocide Convention, which defines the term and binds states to taking action to avoid it, was signed by Israel.
Based in the Dutch city of The Hague, the ICJ serves as the highest court of the United Nations. Israel and South Africa are among the parties that the ICJ has ruled upon; nevertheless, its findings are not legally binding and cannot be enforced.
The court's 2022 ruling for Russia to "immediately suspend military operations" in Ukraine was disregarded.
A crime committed with the purpose to wipe out an entire national, ethnic, racial, or religious group is considered genocide under international law.
The ICJ edifice, also known as the Peace Palace, has had its perimeter cordoned off in an effort to tame the mayhem outside.
This stands in stark contrast to the seriousness of the courtroom proceedings, where members of the Israeli delegation are hearing allegations of genocide in Gaza leveled by South African attorneys.
Israel will have the opportunity to respond on Friday to this, and they deny it. During their visit, the Israeli delegation is anticipated to emphasize the country's legal right to self-defense. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated this week that Israel has no plans to permanently occupy or force the Gazan people out of their homes.
While the ICJ lacks the authority to bring individuals to justice for crimes like genocide, its rulings are nonetheless respected by the United Nations and other global organizations.
On Wednesday, President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa stated, "Our opposition to the ongoing slaughter of the people of Gaza has driven us as a country to approach the ICJ."
The notions were deemed "atrocious and preposterous" by Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
"We will be in the International Court of Justice and we will present proudly our case of using self-defence… under humanitarian law," according to him.
He stated that the army of Israel was "doing its utmost under extremely complicated circumstances on the ground to make sure that there will be no unintended consequences and no civilian casualties" .
South Africa says that Israel is killing Palestinians in Gaza as a form of murder. Their case is currently being heard by the International Court of Justice.
The filing also includes more requests for the court to stop Israel's military moves in the area.
The ICJ will only give an opinion on the genocide charge, so the case is not a criminal trial. However, it is getting a lot of attention.
According to the Israeli government, the charge is "baseless" and is not true.
On Thursday, there were tense scenes outside the ICJ's Peace Palace as Dutch police tried to keep groups of Israeli and Palestinian fans apart.
A lot of Palestinians waving flags outside the ICJ asked that the violence stop. Israeli protesters put up a screen with pictures of prisoners who are still being held in Gaza.
Pro-Palestinian protests also took place in Cape Town, South Africa.
South Africa will make its case on Thursday, and Israel will support it on Friday.
In their submission, South Africa said that Israel's actions "are meant to destroy a substantial part of the Palestinian national, racial, and ethnic group."
It claims that Israel is "killing Palestinians in Gaza, causing them serious bodily and mental harm, and inflicting on them conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction" .
It asks the court to set up "provisional measures" right away, one of which is for Israel to stop all military activities in Gaza.
Ronald Lamola, South Africa's Justice Minister, said in court on Thursday that no act "can provide justification for or defend breaches of the [Genocide Convention]." Israel has said that its activities in Gaza are necessary because of Hamas's terrible attacks on October 7.
Israel signed the 1948 Genocide Convention, which explains what a genocide is and requires states to take steps to stop them.
The ICJ is the top court of the United Nations. Its headquarters are in The Hague, which is in the Netherlands. The ICJ has made decisions about Israel and South Africa, but those decisions are not legally binding and cannot be put into action.
It didn't matter that the court told Russia in 2022 to "immediately suspend military operations" in Ukraine.
International law says that genocide is a crime that is meant to wipe out a whole national, racial, ethnic, or religious group.
The building that houses the ICJ, which is also known as the Peace Palace, has a fence around its outside to try to control the chaos outside.
The seriousness of the courtroom processes, on the other hand, is very different. Members of the Israeli delegation are listening to South African lawyers accuse Israel of genocide in Gaza.
Israel will be able to answer this on Friday, and they say it's not true. The Israeli delegation is likely to stress the country's legal right to self-defense during their stay. This week, Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, said that his country has no plans to forever occupy Gaza or force the people who live there to leave their homes.
Although the ICJ doesn't have the power to bring people to justice for crimes like genocide, the UN and other global organizations still follow its decisions.
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Wednesday, "Our opposition to the ongoing slaughter of the people of Gaza has driven us as a country to approach the ICJ."
The ideas were called "horrendous and ridiculous" by Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
"We will be in the International Court of Justice and we will present proudly our case of using self-defence… under humanitarian law," he said.
He stated that Israel's army was "doing its utmost under extremely complicated circumstances on the ground to make sure that there will be no unintended consequences and no civilian casualties" .
Caroline Glick, who used to work as a consultant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said that this case is "an insult to the basic idea of morality and reasonableness."
While the charge of genocide against Israel is "strong," Zane Dangor, director general of South Africa's department of foreign relations and cooperation, said on BBC's Africa Daily that it "is not one that is unfounded." South Africa's case was put in a "very meticulous" way.
According to him, nothing "could justify the level of killings" going on in Gaza. He was also critical of the Hamas attacks on October 7.
South Africa has asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to tell Israel to stop its military attack. However, it could take years for the ICJ to decide if Israel is guilty of murder.
The African National Congress party, which rules South Africa, has been very critical of Israel's military activity in Gaza. They have long supported the Palestinian cause.
It talks about its fight against apartheid, the racist government that ran South Africa from 1970 until the country's first democracy elections in 1994.
The health ministry run by Hamas says that since the war started after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, more than 23,350 people have died in Gaza. Most of them were children and women. About 240 people were taken hostage, and 1,300 people, mostly civilians, were killed in those incidents.
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