Skip next section Israel rejects ‘distorted’ genocide claim at ICJJanuary 12, 2024
Israel rejects ‘distorted’ genocide claim at ICJIsrael has opened its defense in the genocide case against it at the UN’s top court, saying the allegations did not reflect the realities of the war in Gaza.
South Africa launched the emergency case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), claiming Israel has breached the UN Genocide Convention. It presented its evidence to the court on Thursday.
However, Tal Becker, a legal adviser for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, said South Africa had “regrettably put before the court a profoundly distorted factual and legal picture.”
“The entirety of its case hinges on a deliberately curated, contextualized and manipulative description of the reality of current hostilities,” he added.
Becker said Israel’s actions in Gaza were acts of self-defense against Hamas and “other terrorist organizations.”
“If there were acts of genocide, they have been perpetrated against Israel,” Becker told the court based in The Hague.
South Africa has said it wants the ICJ judges to press Israel to “immediately” stop the Gaza campaign launched after the October 7 Hamas terror attacks.
In doing so, said Becker, “the applicant seeks to thwart Israel’s inherent right to defend itself… and render Israel defenseless.”
“Israel is in a war of defense against Hamas, not against the Palestinian people, to ensure that they do not succeed,” Becker said.
“The key component of genocide, the intent to destroy a people in whole or in part, is totally lacking,” he added.
The court is expected to rule on the emergency measures later this month.
You can watch the ICJ hearing live here.
https://p.dw.com/p/4b9pUSkip next section Houthi spokesman says 5 dead in US-UK airstrikes, vows responseJanuary 12, 2024
Houthi spokesman says 5 dead in US-UK airstrikes, vows responseA spokesman for Yemen’s Houthi insurgent group has vowed to respond to airstrikes against it by the United States and the United Kingdom.
The militia said five fighters were killed in the predawn attacks on several Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa. Another six fighters were injured.
“The American and British enemy bears full responsibility for its criminal aggression against our Yemeni people,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement. “It will not pass unanswered and without punishment.”
Saree said there had been 73 strikes in total, across five regions.
He promised that the Houthi militia would “not hesitate to target sources of threat and all hostile targets on the ground and in the sea.”
The Western military strikes came in response to the Houthi targeting of vessels in the Red Sea, which the militia has claimed are on their way to Israel.
Meanwhile, Hussein al-Ezzi, a Houthi official in the group’s self-proclaimed Foreign Ministry, acknowledged “a massive aggressive attack by American and British ships, submarines and warplanes.”
“America and Britain will undoubtedly have to prepare to pay a heavy price and bear all the dire consequences of this blatant aggression,” he wrote, according to Houthi-aligned media.
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https://p.dw.com/p/4b9kTSkip next section Iran says Yemen strikes will fuel instabilityJanuary 12, 2024
Iran says Yemen strikes will fuel instabilityIran on Friday condemned the US and Britain’s strikes on the Houthis in Yemen and warned they would fuel instability in the region, while also saying it was a violation of international law.
“We strongly condemn the military attacks carried out this morning by the United States and the United Kingdom on several cities in Yemen,” said Nasser Kanaani, spokesperson at the Iranian Foreign Affairs Ministry.
Reuters news agency also cited a member of the Houthi supreme political council, Mohammed Ali-al-Houthi, as saying the strikes were “barbaric.”
https://p.dw.com/p/4b9WxSkip next section Russia requests urgent meeting of UN Security CouncilJanuary 12, 2024
Russia requests urgent meeting of UN Security CouncilRussia on Friday said it had requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council over the US and Britain’s military strikes in Yemen.
“Russia has requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council on January 12 in connection with the US and UK strikes on Yemen,” said Russia’s permanent mission to the UN.
The Associated Press reported that France — the current council president — said the meeting will take place on Friday afternoon.
On Thursday, France welcomed a Security Council resolution strongly condemning Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea and demanded the Houthis end the attacks immediately.
https://p.dw.com/p/4b9TTSkip next section Anti-war activists in US protest strikes in YemenJanuary 12, 2024
Anti-war activists in US protest strikes in YemenDozens of anti-war activists gathered in New York’s Times Square and outside the White House in Washington to protest the airstrikes carried out in Yemen.
In Times Square, chants such as “Hands off the Middle East,” “Hands off Yemen,” and “Hands off Gaza” were heard, while protesters outside the White House waved Palestinian flags and carried “Free Palestine” and “Stop bombing Yemen” banners.
The US and its allies, in a joint statement, said that the strikes were an act of defense and there was no intent to escalate tensions. But protesters worry that the move will widen the war in Gaza.
https://p.dw.com/p/4b9QQSkip next section More reactions to the airstrikes in YemenJanuary 12, 2024
More reactions to the airstrikes in YemenHours after the US and its allies carried out airstrikes on Houthi-controlled cities and targets in Yemen, a joint statement by the US, Britain, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand and South Korea said the “aim remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea.”
In a separate statement, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed that “limited, necessary and proportionate action in self-defense” had been taken and that repeated aggression against international shipping in the Red Sea “cannot stand.”
“Despite the repeated warnings from the international community, the Houthis have continued to carry out attacks in the Red Sea, including against UK and US warships just this week,” Sunak told British media.
“The United Kingdom will always stand up for freedom of navigation and the free flow of trade,” he said.
Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said his country had provided personnel support for the US and UK strikes in Yemen.
“Australia’s support of these actions came in the form of personnel in the operational headquarters,” he told reporters. “Australia will continue to support any actions which assert the global rules-based order.”
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, a long-time regional rival of Iran, is trying to end its involvement in a nine-year war against the Houthis, urged against escalation.
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is following with great concern the military operations,” a Foreign Ministry statement said, calling for “self-restraint and avoiding escalation.”
https://p.dw.com/p/4b9OVSkip next section Israel set to counter genocide accusations at UN’s top courtJanuary 12, 2024
Israel set to counter genocide accusations at UN’s top courtIsrael is set to respond on Friday to accusations leveled by South Africa at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that Israeli military operations in Gaza amount to a state-led genocide campaign aimed at wiping out the Palestinian population.
South Africa filed the lawsuit at the ICJ in December. On Thursday, its lawyers asked judges to impose emergency measures ordering Israel immediately to halt the ongoing offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Israel has rejected the genocide accusations as baseless.
It said South Africa was acting as a mouthpiece for Hamas — a militant-Islamist group recognized as a terrorist organization by several countries, including Germany and the United States, that killed 1,200 people and kidnapped 240 more in attacks on Israel in October — and that the group aimed to eliminate the Jewish state.
Israel says its military operations are aimed at Hamas militants and not Palestinian civilians.
More than 23,000 people have died in the Palestinian Territories since Israel’s war on Hamas began in October, according to Gaza’s Hamas-controlled Health Ministry. The ministry does not distinguish between civilian and combatant deaths.
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The 1948 Genocide Convention — enacted in the wake of the Holocaust during the Second World War in which Nazi Germany killed over 6 million Jews — defines genocide as “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.”
In an interview with DW, Yuval Shany, the dean of the faculty of law at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, said that South Africa had done a “good job from their point of view in presenting their arguments at the International Court of Justice.”
However, “Genocide is a very difficult charge to substantiate, and here they have not really addressed almost at all the fact that what is happening in the Gaza Strip is a state of war,” he said.
https://p.dw.com/p/4b9NISkip next section Biden says US ‘will not hesitate’ to act furtherJanuary 12, 2024
Biden says US ‘will not hesitate’ to act furtherUS President Joe Biden, in a statement, said he “will not hesitate” to order further military action against Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen if required, and that Washington and its allies “will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation.”
“Today, at my direction, US military forces — together with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands — successfully conducted strikes against a number of targets in Yemen used by Houthi rebels to endanger freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most vital waterways,” Biden said.
He said the airstrikes on Houthi-controlled cities in Yemen were a “direct response” to “unprecedented” attacks by the Houthis. This included the use of an anti-ship ballistic missile “for the first time in history.”
“These attacks have endangered US personnel, civilian mariners, and our partners, jeopardized trade, and threatened freedom of navigation,” Biden said, adding, “I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.”
https://p.dw.com/p/4b9LtSkip next section US, UK launch ‘defensive action’ against Houthis in YemenJanuary 12, 2024
US, UK launch ‘defensive action’ against Houthis in YemenThe United States, the United Kingdom and their allies have carried out strikes against sites used by the Houthi rebel group in Yemen in “defensive action” after attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.
US officials said targets included logistical hubs, air defense systems and weapons storage locations. US media reported that the strikes involved fighter jets and Tomahawk missiles.
The Houthis are backed by Iran and control large swathes of western Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa.
In a statement, US President Joe Biden said the airstrikes were carried out with “support” from Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands.
In recent weeks, Houthi rebels have launched numerous attacks on international ships in the Red Sea in reaction to Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip.
A Houthi official vowed retribution for the attacks.
“America and Britain will have to prepare to pay a heavy price and bear all the dire consequences of this blatant aggression,” Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein Al-Ezzi said, according to local media.
Read more about the airstrikes here.
mh/sms (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)
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