Israel responded to claims of genocide by South Africa on Friday at the International Court of Justice located in The Hague, Netherlands.
South Africa began to present its argument Thursday accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.
In his opening statement Friday to the court, Israeli representative Tal Becker asked for a dismissal of the case, calling it “a libel.”
Another of Israel’s lawyers Malcolm Shaw said the “real genocide” occurred when Hamas terrorists attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 200 more as hostages, including women, children, and elderly civilians.
Becker defended Israel’s reasoning for its ongoing war in Gaza by showing the court video of Hamas official Ghazi Hamad vowing to continue attacks and annihilate Israel. He also disputed the alleged death toll of more than 23,000 Palestinians as “unverified statistics provided by Hamas itself.”
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One commentator noted the trial against Israel after it faced stunning atrocities on Oct. 7 is like accusing a Holocaust survivor of starting World War II.
In a post on the social media platform X, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) wrote: “South Africa’s case
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