Attorney Galit Rejwan, who is representing Israel in proceedings against it at the International Court of Justice regarding the Gaza war, stated Friday that South Africa's lawsuit against the country for alleged war crimes in Gaza would ultimately be dismissed.
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Rejwan, the head of the International Litigation Department at the Justice Ministry said "There is no doubt that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is very difficult at the moment, but South Africa's claim of any attempt at genocide is unfounded."
In her first public appearance since participating in the hearings at the International Court of Justice, Attorney Rejwan stated, "Unlike previous situations, here we are dealing with real-time combat proceedings. South Africa requested a series of interim measures, including a ceasefire. The clarification process could take several years, but the request for interim measures was decided by the court within days."
"For us, as the International Litigation Department in the Justice Ministry but definitely as Israelis, the filing of this lawsuit was extremely audacious, to say the least. To argue that Israel is conducting or attempting to carry out genocide in Gaza completely ignores the events of October 7, the security challenges Israel is grappling with, and the relentless rocket fire we've experienced in recent months. Even though we knew that South Africa's claims were baseless, on the eve of our appearance, we had no assurance that the court would not issue a temporary injunction to cease hostilities."
Attorney Rejwan noted that the failure to issue a temporary injunction against Israel calling for a ceasefire in Gaza was a significant achievement. According to her, Israel's achievement in the Hague is not just legal but also in the sense that world countries have heard its representatives standing before a court of judges and presenting their positions to the global community. "We clarified what happened in Gaza, what led to it on October 7, and Israel's commitment to international law," she said.
According to her, "We are accustomed to operating in the international arena, but to argue that what we did is disconnected from what happened on October 7 and the fact that captives are held by a terrorist organization exploiting civilian populations was unfair. Ultimately, our achievement is that the court in the Hague did not adopt South Africa's claims but rather alternative steps."