“Liars!”: Israeli official heckled in World Court after opposing South Africa’s genocide claims

An Israeli official was interrupted by a heckler during a World Court proceeding on Friday, after she called for judges to reject a request from South Africa — a request which accuses Israel of “genocide” and seeks an end to its military offensive in Rafah.

“Liars, liars!” a female audience member shouted, as Israeli Foreign Ministry legal adviser Tamar Kaplan Tourgeman opposed South Africa’s application.

Though used as a corridor for humanitarian aid throughout much of the Israel-Hamas conflict, Israel began striking targets and making its way into Rafah on May 6, resulting in less aid shipments and even more casualties. As of this week, an estimate of more than 36,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza.

Despite the rising death toll, Gilad Noam — Israel's deputy attorney general for international law — said South Africa’s “baseless” accusations that Israel has violated the 1949 Genocide Convention “suggests an inversion of reality,” and “makes a mockery of the heinous charge of genocide.”

The Genocide Convention is a longstanding, agreed-upon international treaty which banned genocide after the Holocaust of European Jews in the Second World War.

Israel’s offensive in Gaza began on Oct. 7, after Hamas militants killed more than 1,200 people in south Israel and kidnapped roughly 250 more. Since then, Israel has vowed to “destroy” Hamas.

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