On the eve of the hearing at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu clarified in an English video on his X account that Israel would not encourage voluntary emigration from the Gaza Strip.
"I want to make a few points absolutely clear:
Israel has no intention of permanently occupying Gaza or displacing its civilian population.
Israel is fighting Hamas terrorists, not the Palestinian population, and we are doing so in full compliance with international law. pic.twitter.com/amxFaMnS0P
— Prime Minister of Israel (@IsraeliPM) January 10, 2024
"I want to make a few points: Israel has no intention of occupying Gaza or displacing the civilian population. Israel is fighting Hamas terrorists, not the Palestinian population, and we are doing so in full compliance with international law," Netanyahu said.
Two days of discussions
Today at 11 a.m. Israel time, hearings will begin at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, in the suit of the State of South Africa against the State of Israel for allegedly committing genocide by Israel against the Palestinians in the fighting in Gaza.
Israel's defense team arrived in The Hague, with Justice Aharon Barak selected to be a member of the panel of judges representing representatives from 17 countries. Families of abducted Israelis have also arrived in the city and tomorrow they will hold a march in support of Israel.
The International Court of Justice in The Hague, photo: CM Dixon
The hearings will take place only two days, today and tomorrow, on Thursday and Friday this week. The court's permanent panel of judges consists of 15 judges, with the defendant state and the plaintiff state entitled to add another judge of its choice to the panel. Israel, as is well known, elected former Supreme Court President Aharon Barak.
Aharon Barak, former President of the Supreme Court, Photo: Noam Rivkin Fenton
The first day of deliberations on Thursday is expected to begin with the swearing-in of Justice Barak and the swearing-in of the judge chosen by South Africa. After that, the day will be devoted to about four hours of deliberation, according to the South African prosecutor, and on Friday to the words of Israel's defense. The hearings will not deal with South Africa's request that the court issue an interim injunction to stop the war in Gaza.
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