The South African legal team argued its case against Israel’s genocide in Gaza at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague last Thursday. It was a breathtaking session of over three hours, with several exquisite, morally astute speeches, like that of Irish barrister Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh – I was awestruck at the detail and the overview. These speeches must be preserved for posterity as some of the most important in history. Their summation rang like a bell meant to shake the entire world, such as when Ní Ghrálaigh intoned, “The world should be absolutely outraged… There is no safe space in Gaza and the world should be ashamed”.
But Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is not ashamed. If he is outraged at anything, it is about the “hypocritical onslaught at The Hague against the state of the Jews.”
On Saturday, in a nine-minute live speech (in Hebrew) on Israeli Channel 14, Netanyahu once again evoked the “war of the sons of light against the sons of darkness,” the same imagery that he used back in October. He also directly defied the ICJ: “Nobody will stop us – not The Hague, not the axis of evil and not anybody else.”
It requires sheer gall to refer like this to the International Court of Justice, the highest legal authority of the UN, which represents the highest international consensus on international law. To suggest that its rulings will have no consequence is blatantly offensive. In addition, Netanyahu also lied in his speech, claiming that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called Hamas the “new Nazis” when in fact it was Netanyahu himself who said that.
But Netanyahu doesn’t care, not about the truth nor about tarnishing the ICJ. He was speaking in Hebrew to his crowd. And while his scandalous dismissal of the ICJ made headlines, Netanyahu’s speech included other chilling warnings that Israel has no plans to relent in its genocidal attack.
In fact, the conclusion of his speech, which has not been widely reported on, included yet another biblical reference that subtly hints at divine revenge on Israel’s enemies, similar to his infamous Amalek reference (where that ancient nation was to be eradicated down to babies and animals).
“As it is said in the week’s bible episode,” Netanyahu said, “Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob. They will live there in safety and will build houses and plant vineyards.”
The quote is from Ezekiel 28:25, 26. On its face, it seems benign, but the quote continues. Netanyahu omitted the full quote in his speech, but those who know their bible, like the religious-nationalist base that Netanyahu heavily relies upon, will understand the message. The quote continues:
“They will live in safety when I inflict punishment on all their neighbors who maligned them. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God.”
After the biblical citation, Netanyahu ended the speech by saying: “Together we will fight, and together, with the help of God, we will win.”
We should take these words very seriously. This is Israel’s prime minister. And yet, some are still trying to explain away these repeated calls for genocide as exceptions. Incredibly, even liberal outlets like Haaretz are counseling that Israel’s best defense at the ICJ would be for Netanyahu to fire the extremist ministers who utter such things – when he is saying these things all the time!
And then there is Fania Oz-Salzberger, Amos Oz’s daughter, who suggested that these genocidal calls are all just examples of “wild freedom of speech,” and “loudmouths crying Genocide and Amalek” who are “not aware of the profound dissonance, the huge damage, the justified outrage.” In line with Haaretz and the New York Times, she suggests it’s just about bad apples: “Only a small minority wants actual genocide in Gaza and are morally crippled enough to carry it through: the extreme national-religious right.” And “No, Israel is not conducting genocide… But its ongoing rant about ‘flattening Gaza’ is no longer a quaint side effect of our argumentative heritage.”
This is absurd – Oz-Salzberger is attempting to outdo her father when it comes to peddling hasbara.
An overwhelming majority of the Israeli population supports the genocide, they just call it something else, like self-defense. Most of them think too little firepower is being used, and most of them support the “voluntary emigration” plan (ethnic cleansing if one is in doubt).
All of these words, both Netanyahu’s as well as those of liberal propagandists, are part of the same genocidal reality. Israel is committing genocide, and the world has a responsibility to protect the Palestinians. Netanyahu has announced he will stop at nothing, even if the highest court in the world says he must. So we must stand with the Palestinians, against this Israeli axis of evil.
H/t Tali Shapiro, Steffen Groth
Since we’re having a few Biblical quotations thrown around just now: “Pride goeth before destruction, And an haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18, King James Version, 1611)
South African lawyers preparing lawsuit against US, UK for complicity in Israel’s war crimes in Gaza
After South Africa filed a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for genocide in Gaza, the country’s nearly 50 lawyers are preparing a separate lawsuit against the US and UK governments on the grounds that they are complicit in Israeli forces’ war crimes in Palestine.
The initiative, led by South African lawyer Wikus Van Rensburg, aims to prosecute those who are complicit in the crime in civilian courts in collaboration with lawyers from the US and UK, with whom he is already in contact.
Rensburg, who has been writing letters to various countries and the ICJ for the last few weeks demanding that Israel and its supporters be prosecuted, has begun preparations to file a lawsuit against the two Western countries, with the support of his colleagues.
“The United States must now be held accountable for the crimes it committed,” Rensburg told Anadolu in an interview, detailing the process by which Washington and London will be tried as complicit in Tel Aviv’s war crimes against the people of Gaza.
‘ICJ case will guide us’
When he told the people around him about filing a lawsuit, Rensburg said he received a lot of support. “Many lawyers decided to join us in the lawsuit. Many of those who have joined are Muslims, but I am not. They feel obligated to assist this cause, but I believe that what is happening is incorrect.”
What happened in Iraq is an example of this, he said, noting that no one held the US accountable for the crimes it committed in the Middle Eastern country as the issue was not given the necessary importance.
But now people believe what is happening in Palestine is an ideal scenario for the legal process to be carried out, the South African lawyer said, adding that “the US is busy spending more money and more resources to (allow Israel) commit the crime.”
“No one says stop, enough is enough,” he remarked.
Rensburg said the genocide case filed by South Africa against Israel at the ICJ will serve as a guide for their case against the US and UK, and that they will begin the process based on the outcome of the case and the steps to be taken by the United Nations.
‘The US must now be held responsible’
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/south-african-lawyers-preparing-lawsuit-against-us-uk-for-complicity-in-israels-war-crimes-in-gaza/3109201
The stench being emitted by israel is going from bad to worse to worser. Not much difference between the Nazis of then and the Zio(n)Azis of today. For SHAME, israel!!! SCHANDE!!!
Israel is GUILTY of Genocide: Jewish former South Africa MP DESTROYS Israel at ICJ
“Never again didn’t mean only for Jews, it means Never Again for EVERYONE”
Andrew Feinstein
https://www.doubledown.news/watch/2023/january/11/israel-is-guilty-of-genocide-jewish-ex-south-africa-mp-destroys-israel-at-icj
“Nobody will stop us – not The Hague, not the axis of evil and not anybody else.”
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Netanyahu is throwing down the gauntlet to Biden, Members of Congress, the Americans, the UN and it’s Security Council, to international law. He is declaring supremacy for Greater Israel and running like hell from the closer look at 10-7.
Netanyahu has called our bluff and put the ball in our court. Now is the time to demand of our Members of Congress to take back our credit card and the 2000 pounders.