The president of Israel claims that the UN World Court misinterpreted his remarks in its verdict on genocide
JERUSALEM (AP) In a decision directing Israel to take action to safeguard Palestinians and stop a genocide in the Gaza Strip, the president of Israel charged on Sunday that the World Court of the United Nations had misrepresented his remarks.
A number of remarks made by Israeli officials were highlighted in the court’s Friday verdict as proof of incitement and demeaning remarks directed at the Palestinian people. These included remarks made by President Isaac Herzog just a few days following the cross border Hamas strike on October 7th, which set off Israel’s military campaign against the extremist Islamic organization.
In that incident, gunmen from Hamas killed roughly 1,200 people and kidnapped about 250 others. Over 26,000 Palestinians have died as a result of the Israeli offensive, which has also forced over 80% of Gaza’s population to flee their homes and created a humanitarian crisis there.
Speaking of the Palestinians in Gaza, Herzog claimed during a press conference on October 12 that an entire nation was to blame for the killing, according to the International Court of Justice’s findings.
Herzog, however, claimed that it disregarded other remarks he made during the same press conference, including his declaration that Israel will adhere to international norms of war and that there is no excuse for killing innocent civilians.
I was appalled at how they misrepresented my words, utilizing incredibly fragmented and incomplete quotes, in order to bolster an erroneous legal argument, Herzog declared on Sunday.
The Israeli military onslaught was not to be stopped, the court said in its verdict. It did, however, give a number of directives to Israel, including ceasing all incitement and providing a progress report to the court within a month, and directed Israel to take all reasonable steps to prevent death, damage, and acts of genocide in Gaza.
