Axios reported that the Israeli Foreign Ministry has sent urgent cables to its embassies to rally international pressure against a lawsuit accusing Israel of "genocide" in the Gaza Strip, filed at the International Court of Justice.
The American website indicated that Israel is seeking to gather this pressure in order to thwart the legal action brought forward by South Africa against it at the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, and to prevent an interim ruling from the Court to immediately halt the fighting.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry directed its embassies to persuade local diplomats and politicians to make statements against the South African lawsuit.
Public hearings at the International Court of Justice in The Hague to consider the lawsuit are scheduled for the 11th and 12th of January/January.
Last week, South Africa filed a lawsuit at the International Court of Justice, accusing Tel Aviv of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip. In response, Israel attacked South Africa, describing its move as a "blood conspiracy."
South Africa has requested the Court to issue an urgent order declaring that Israel is violating its obligations under the Genocide Convention of 1948 in its war on the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Israel has stated that it will present itself before the Court to challenge the accusation.
Three months after its aggression on the Gaza Strip, Israel must respond for the first time before an international tribunal due to the ongoing war, which to this day has left about 23,000 martyrs and more than 57,000 wounded, most of them women and children.
In this context, last Thursday, Israel appointed British Professor Malcolm Shaw, considered one of the world's most renowned experts in international law, to represent it at the International Court of Justice in The Hague in facing the lawsuit brought by South Africa.
The rulings of the International Court of Justice are legally binding, however, the judges of the Court do not have the authority to force any country to execute the sentences.
International Court of Justice
The International Court of Justice was established in June 1945 as the primary judicial body of the United Nations, and it began its activities in April 1946 at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the administrative capital of the Netherlands.
The main tasks of the Court include the settlement of legal disputes that arise between states according to international law and providing legal advice concerning interpretation and application of international conventions.
The Court, which deals only with disputes between states, consists of 15 judges who serve 9-year terms and are elected jointly by the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council. The United Nations covers the full expenses of the International Court of Justice.
