Leave your thoughts
The International Court of Justice in The Hague heard South Africa’s arguments accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. This is a rare case and can last for years. But, as Nick Schifrin reports, South Africa is asking for an initial ruling, which may have far-reaching implications for Israel and the United States.
Note: Transcripts are both machine-generated and human-generated and edited for accuracy. They would possibly involve mistakes.
Amna Nawaz:
The International Court of Justice in The Hague heard arguments from South Africa accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
This is a rare case and can last for years.
But, as Nick Schifrin reports, South Africa is an initial decision, which may have far-reaching implications for Israel and the United States.
Nick Schifrin:
Deep in Gaza’s desperation, South Africa accuses Israel of what is the crime of crimes.
Adila Hassim, South African Lawyer:
These movements reveal a systematic habit trend from which genocide can be deduced.
Nick Schifrin:
Today, South Africa asked the International Court of Justice to compel Israel to stop the war and what it called decades of discrimination.
Vusimuzi Madonsela, South Africa’s ambassador to the Netherlands: The nomination places Israel’s genocidal acts and omissions in the broader context of Israel’s apartheid years.
Wife:
The draft genocide conference is submitted to the General Assembly.
Nick Schifrin:
It was 75 years ago last month that the U.N. adopted the Genocide Convention, the first human rights treaty. It was born out of the Nazis’ Final Solution, a campaign of systemic murder that helped lead to the birth of the state of Israel.
The conference defines genocide as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial group or group” and cites as examples killing, wounding, provoking situations calculated to cause physical destruction, prevent births or prevent births. Move the children.
Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, South African lawyer:
Israel has a genocidal intent against the Palestinians in Gaza. This is clearly seen by the way in which the Israeli army’s attack is being carried out, the massive displacement of the population of Gaza, grouped in spaces where they continue to be killed, and the planned creation of situations that can lead to a slow death.
Nick Schifrin:
South Africa also accuses Israel of declaring its own genocidal intent.
Isaac Herzog, President of Israel:
This rhetoric that civilians are aware and involved is surely false. And we will fight until their spine breaks.
Yoav Gallant, Israeli Minister of Defense (through a translator):
We are ordering a complete siege on Gaza, no electricity, no food, no water, no fuel. Everything is closed. We are fighting human animals, and we are acting accordingly.
Isaac Herzog:
There is nothing more egregious and absurd than this statement.
Nick Schifrin:
Israel rejects the claim as blood libel. Israel claims that it was Hamas that unleashed the wave of violence on October 7, and that it is the Hamas letter that promises – and I quote – “to annihilate Israel” in the call of Islam.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister (through translator):
The State of Israel is accused of genocide at a time when it is fighting genocide. A terrorist organization committed the worst crime against the Jewish people since the Holocaust, and now it comes to defend them in the name of the Holocaust. What brazen audacity. The world is turned upside down.
Nick Schifrin:
This week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken subsidized Israel’s cause.
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken: The accusation of genocide is baseless.
Oona Hathaway, Yale Law School:
Each State Party to the Genocide Convention has the duty, legal responsibility and right to raise considerations when it believes that this conference is being violated.
Nick Schifrin:
Oona Hathaway is Professor of International Law at Yale Law School. It says the court only has to affirm that South Africa has demonstrated a moderate likelihood of genocide in order to impose orders on Israel that may affect only the United States.
Oona Hathaway:
The U.S., as a member of the Genocide Convention itself, its own legal obligations will kick in, and it is prohibited from aiding and assisting in genocide. But it’s also actually positively obligated to act to prevent genocide.
And that will make it quite complicated to continue military support, indeed to Israel, and maybe even some kind of foreign aid to Israel.
Nelson Mandela, former South African president:
We are with the PLO because, like us, it fights for the right to self-determination.
(Cheers and applause)
Nick Schifrin:
South Africa’s support for Palestinians goes back decades. Former President Nelson Mandela was close to Palestine Liberation Organization founder Yasser Arafat. Before that, Israel supported and even negotiated providing nuclear weapons to South Africa’s apartheid government.
In 1999, in the West Bank, Mandela advocated for a Palestinian state by any means necessary.
Nelson Mandela:
If the choice is violence, we will use violence.
As Deputy Senior Producer of Foreign Affairs and Defense at PBS NewsHour, Dan plays a key role in helping to oversee and produce the program’s foreign affairs and defense stories. His articles broke new ground on a variety of military topics, revealing debates that were taking place in the open. the public eye.
Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm.
Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm.