THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — South Africa has launched a case at the United Nations’ top court alleging that Israel’s military campaign in Gaza amounts to genocide.
The filing and Israel’s decision to defend itself at the International Court of Justice set up a high-stakes showdown before a panel of judges in the Great Hall of Justice.
OVER 2,000 SOUTH AFRICAN MINERS REMAIN UNDERGROUND AS UNION PROTEST ENTERS SECOND DAY
The case will likely drag on for years. At its heart is the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, drawn up in the aftermath of World War II and the Holocaust.
The convention defines genocide as acts such as killings “committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.”
Here are some further details on the case and its ramifications.
WHAT IS SOUTH AFRICA’S ARGUMENT?
South Africa‘s 84-page filing says Israel’s actions “are genocidal in character because they are intended to bring…