Israeli President, Isaac Herzog has stated that “there is nothing more atrocious and preposterous” than the lawsuit filed in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing Israel of genocidal actions against Palestinians in the Gaza war.
Speaking to the visiting U.S Secretary of state, Antony Blinken, Herzog accused South Africa of hypocrisy for bringing the case and thanked Washington for its support of Israel.
He noted, “Actually our enemies, Hamas, in their charter, call for the destruction of our nation, the state of Israel – the only nation state of the Jewish people.”
“We will be there at the international court of justice and will present proudly our case of using self-defence under our most inherent right under international humanitarian law.”
Isaac Herzog
Herzog added that Israel must win “because it is a war that affects international values and the values of the free world.”
Talking about his meeting with Blinken in a post on X, the Israeli President said that he thanked Blinken for his unwavering support for the State of Israel, together with President Biden and the U.S Administration.
He revealed that they discussed the ongoing plight of the hostages and the need to bring them home immediately.
South Africa and Israel will present arguments in The Hague on Thursday and Friday, as the UN’s highest court reviews the claim that Israel has committed crimes of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
Bolivia, Jordan, Malaysia, Turkey and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation have expressed their support for South Africa’s application.
However, Guatemala has expressed its opposition to the case filed by the South African government against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
It said in a statement that it supported “Israel’s legitimate defence against the attacks of the terrorist group Hamas” and that “Israel’s purpose has always been to repel the constant invasions that seek to frighten the population.”
More than 23,000 Palestinians are said by the health ministry there to have been killed by Israeli military action in the 13-and-a-half weeks since 7 October, with more than 85% of Palestinians in Gaza displaced from their homes by order of the Israeli military.
Independent experts estimate as much as 40% of the housing in Gaza has already been damaged or destroyed by the Israeli assault.
Blinken Meets Israel’s Foreign Minister
Additionally, Blinken met with Israel’s Foreign Minister, Israel Katz.
Katz disclosed in a post on social media that he thanked Blinken for the support of President Biden and the US for Israel, and insisted on the goals of the war, which are the return of the kidnapped, the defeat of the terrorist organization Hamas and the expulsion of Hezbollah from southern Lebanon in order to allow the residents of the south and the north to return home safely.
He added that Blinken emphasised that the US is committed to Israel’s security and to the fact that the 7 October massacre will not happen again.
Blinken was reported as telling Katz that he saw opportunities for it to build closer ties in the region after the Gaza crisis.
“I know of your own efforts, over many years, to build much greater connectivity and integration in the Middle East, and I think there are actually real opportunities there,” he said in a televised meeting with his Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz.
“But we have to get through this very challenging moment and ensure that 7 October can never happen again and work to build a much different and much better future,” Blinken said.
Prior to the Hamas attack on October 7, there had been talk of the normalisation of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
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