Axios has reported an urgent cable detailing plans for the Israeli foreign ministry to instruct its embassies to press diplomats and politicians in their host countries to publicly oppose South Africa's case at the International Court of Justice. The case, filed last week, accuses Israel of committing genocide in Gaza against Palestinians.
The case, filed last week by South Africa, accuses Israel of committing genocide in Gaza against Palestinians.
The cable was sent by the foreign ministry on Thursday, according to Axios, and the news outlet reports it illustrates Israel’s diplomatic action plan ahead of next week’s ICJ hearing.
Several countries have officially backed South Africa’s petition.
The ICJ on Wednesday said it will hold public hearings next week regarding proceedings brought by South Africa against Israel over allegations of genocide in its war against Hamas in Gaza.
The hearings will be dedicated to South Africa’s request last week for “provisional measures” — emergency steps the court can order to preserve the rights of a party.
In its request, South Africa asked the ICJ to indicate provisional measures to protect Palestinian people and “ensure Israel’s compliance with its obligations under the Genocide Convention not to engage in genocide, and to prevent and to punish genocide,” the court said in a news release.
South Africa is scheduled to present its oral arguments on January 11, with Israel set to do the same the following day.
An Israeli government spokesperson stated Tuesday that Israel will appear before the ICJ “to dispel South Africa’s absurd blood libel”.
Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Oct. 7.
At least 22,700 Palestinians have since been killed and 57,910 others injured, according to Gaza’s health authorities, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.
The onslaught has left Gaza in ruins, with 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure damaged or destroyed and nearly 2 million residents displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.
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