South Africa made its case to the UN's top court Thursday for ending the Gaza conflict, and Israeli authorities were outraged.
After the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel border villages, which killed 1,200 and kidnapped 240, the Israeli military response killed over 23,000 Palestinians and displaced 1.9 million.
"Israel has a genocidal intent against the Palestinians in Gaza,"South African Tembeka Ngcukaitobi told the ICJ in The Hague. "The intent to destroy Gaza has been nurtured at the highest level of state."
Israel, established in 1948 after the Holocaust when over 6 million Jews were slaughtered, strongly denies the charges.
Netanyahu stated in a video message, “This is an upside-down world – the state of Israel is accused of genocide while it is fighting genocide.” «South African hypocrisy cries to the heavens»
In the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, Palestinians habituated to witnessing Gaza's destruction on TV were intrigued by the court hearings at home and in cafés.
Friday, Israel will offer its rebuttal case in court, but the Foreign Ministry called the charges false. The process is anticipated to take years, but South Africa wants Israel to stop the war now.
The statement called what was occurring before the court a perversion of justice and a disgrace to human rights advocates. “We stand with the October 7th massacre victims and promise justice.”