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GAZA/THE HAGUE: Israel prepared to defend itself on Thursday at the top U.N. court against accusations of genocide in Gaza, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly rebuffed for the first time calls by some right-wing ministers to permanently occupy the enclave.
As Israel's war in Gaza continued to rage, the International Court of Justice in The Hague, also known as the World Court, was to hold hearings on Thursday and Friday in a case brought by South Africa in December claiming Israel's war against Hamas militants in Gaza violates the 1948 Genocide Convention.
Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy said on Wednesday: "Tomorrow, the State of Israel will appear before the International Court of Justice to dispel South Africa's absurd blood libel, as Pretoria gives political and legal cover to the Hamas Rapist Regime."
The hearings will deal exclusively with South Africa's request for emergency measures ordering Israel to suspend its military actions in Gaza while the court hears the merits of the case - a process which could take years. Colombia and Brazil expressed their support of South Africa late Wednesday.
Israel launched its offensive after Hamas fighters carried out an Oct. 7 cross-border rampage in which Israel says 1,200 people were killed and 240 abducted.
Since then, Israeli forces have laid much of Gaza to waste, and nearly all of its 2.3 million people have been driven from their homes at least once, causing a humanitarian catastrophe. More than 23,000 Palestinians have been killed.
On the eve of the hearings, Netanyahu for the first time publicly stated opposition to calls from right-wing members of his government, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, for Palestinians to leave Gaza voluntarily, making way for Israelis to settle there.
While the stance has been Israel's official policy, Netanyahu's prior comments on the permanent occupation of Gaza have been inconsistent and at times opaque.
"I want to make a few points absolutely clear: Israel has no intention of permanently occupying Gaza or displacing its civilian population," Netanyahu said on social media platform X.
Potentially timing his comments ahead of the ICJ hearings, he added: "Israel is fighting Hamas terrorists, not the Palestinian population, and we are doing so in full compliance with international law."
Jordan and Egypt warned on Wednesday against any Israeli reoccupation of the Gaza Strip and appealed for uprooted residents to be allowed to return to their homes as Jordan's King Abdullah and Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi met.
Source: Reuters
以色列準備在國際法院為加薩種族滅絕指控辯護
加薩/海牙：週四，以色列準備在聯合國最高法院為自己辯護，反對加薩的種族滅絕指控，總理本傑明·內塔尼亞胡首次公開拒絕了一些右翼部長關於永久佔領該飛地的呼籲。
隨著以色列在加薩的戰爭持續激烈，海牙國際法院（也稱為世界法院）將於週四和週五就南非去年12 月提起的一樁案件舉行聽證會，該案件指控以色列對加薩的哈馬斯武裝份子發動戰爭違反 1948 年《種族滅絕公約》。
以色列政府發言人埃隆·利維週三表示：“明天，以色列國將在國際法院出庭，駁回南非荒謬的血腥誹謗，比勒陀利亞為哈馬斯強姦犯政權提供政治和法律掩護。”
聽證會將特別討論南非要求採取緊急措施，命令以色列暫停在加薩的軍事行動，同時法院聽取案情的實質內容，這一過程可能需要數年時間。 哥倫比亞和巴西週三晚間表達了對南非的支持。
10 月 7 日，哈馬斯武裝分子發動跨境襲擊，造成 1,200 人死亡、240 人被綁架，隨後以色列發動攻勢。
此後，以色列軍隊將加薩的大部分地區夷為平地，該地區 230 萬居民幾乎全部被趕出家園，至少一次，造成了人道主義災難。 超過 23,000 名巴勒斯坦人被殺害。
聽證會前夕，內塔尼亞胡首次公開表示反對包括財政部長貝扎萊爾·斯莫特里奇和國家安全部長伊塔馬爾·本·格維爾在內的政府右翼成員呼籲巴勒斯坦人自願離開加沙，為巴勒斯坦人讓路。以色列人在那裡定居。
雖然這一立場是以色列的官方政策，但內塔尼亞胡先前關於永久佔領加薩的評論前後矛盾，有時甚至不透明。
內塔尼亞胡在社交媒體平台X上表示：“我想絕對明確地指出幾點：以色列無意永久佔領加沙或驅趕其平民。”
他可能會在國際法院聽證會之前發表評論，他補充說：“以色列正在打擊哈馬斯恐怖分子，而不是巴勒斯坦人民，我們這樣做完全符合國際法。”
週三，約旦國王阿卜杜拉和埃及總統阿卜杜勒·法塔赫·塞西會面時，約旦和埃及警告以色列不要重新佔領加薩走廊，並呼籲允許背井離鄉的居民返回家園。
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