This morning (Thursday) 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 also arrived in the city this morning and tomorrow they will hold a march in support of Israel.
Anti-Semite arrested for desecrating "Europe's largest menorah" (archive)
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.
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.
Represented Israel in The Hague, Prof. Aharon Barak, former President of the Supreme Court, Photo: Coco
The person chosen to defend Israel is Prof. Malcolm Shaw, who will be accompanied by Deputy Legal Adviser to the Government for International Affairs, Gilad Noam, and a team from the Foreign Ministry. Prof. Shaw, 76, is a world-class expert on human rights law, international law and the various court proceedings. Shaw is a Jew living in Britain, but he earned his LL.M. at the Hebrew University, at the time living in Israel. Israel is not the only country Shaw has represented on the court, he has previously represented more than a dozen different countries in various proceedings.
Shabbat meal in front of the court
An hour before the hearing begins, the families of the abductees will hold a march in support of Israel and a protest against South Africa's demand. The march will be held by the families of the abductees: Alexander Danzig (76) from Nir Oz, Or Levy (33) who was abducted from the Nova Festival, Simon Fernando Merman (60) from Kfar Saba who was abducted while visiting a family in the envelope, Omri Miran (46) from Nahal Oz and Luis Norberto Har (70). The families of the abductees will also be joined by representatives of the Jewish communities in the Netherlands and Jewish organizations in the country.
On Friday, after the last hearing, the families will hold a "Shabbat meal" outside the court to protest the fact that for more than three months many abductees have been held captive by Hamas and are holding the Shabbat meal in appalling conditions, without a visit from the Red Cross and in violation of international rules.
Protest in Amsterdam
Today's debate is also somewhat noticeable in the city of Amsterdam, near The Hague, where Palestinian activists have pasted posters in central locations calling for an end to what they claim is Israel's "genocide" against the Palestinians. On the other hand, the kosher Jewish restaurant Meat Me hung pictures of the abductees on the restaurant's shop window and on all the chairs.
Today's discussion is making waves in other communities around the world, and not just in the Netherlands. For example, Rosalie Abella, a Jewish former Supreme Court of Canada justice, commented on South Africa's lawsuit, saying, "As a jurist, she is shameful; As a Jew, she is heartbreaking; As the daughter of Holocaust survivors, she is against conscience."
Abella added: "We are in a distorted situation in which Hamas, which wants to commit genocide, is able to evade legal accountability, while the country that is the target of its intention to commit genocide is required to defend itself at the International Court of Justice."
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