In a clear pro-Israel stance, the German government announced Friday evening that it rejects South Africa's claims at the International Criminal Court in The Hague and will come to support Israel as a third party.
German Ambassador to Israel Marching with Families of Abductees: "With You Day and Night" (17.11.23) // Family Headquarters
Government spokesman Stephen Hebstraight issued a statement saying: "The federal government strongly rejects the genocide accusation made against Israel, it has no basis. Therefore, we will speak as a third party in the main hearing before the International Court of Justice."
Die Bundesregierung weist den gegen Israel erhobenen Vorwurf des Völkermordes entschieden zurück. Er entbehrt jeder Grundlage. Wir werden uns daher in der Hauptverhandlung vor dem Internationalen Gerichtshof als Drittpartei äußern: https://t.co/qZYb4SiacD
— Steffen Hebestreit (@RegSprecher) January 12, 2024
The straight made it clear that Israel's ground operation in Gaza was legitimate after the "terrible events of October 7" and that Israel had the right to defend itself. Germany's announcement of support comes after the conclusion of the preliminary hearings at the court. In the next stage, which will take place in the coming weeks, a hearing will be held on the interim injunctions against Israel's activity in Gaza, after which the main stage of the accusations will begin, a process that may take several years.
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