NPR’s Andrew Limbong speaks with Ofer Cassif, a member of Israel’s parliament, about his support of South Africa’s genocide case against Israel’s government at the International Court of Justice.
ANDREW LIMBONG, HOST:
Two days of arguments have concluded at the International Court of Justice in the Hague over whether Israel’s government is committing genocide in Gaza. The case was brought by South Africa, and Israel has called the accusations baseless, saying that it’s defending itself against Hamas. Israel made their case at the court on Friday and opened by discussing the attacks of October 7.
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TAL BECKER: The events of that day are all but ignored in the applicant’s submissions, but we are compelled to share with the court some fraction of its horror. The largest calculated mass murder of Jews in a single day since the Holocaust. We do so not because these acts – however sadistic and systematic – release Israel of its obligations to uphold the law as it defends its citizens and territory. That is unquestionable. We do so because it is impossible to understand the armed conflict in Gaza without appreciating the nature of the threat that Israel is facing and the brutality and lawlessness of the armed force confronting it.
LIMBONG: The case has generated a lot of debate, especially within Israel, and particularly for Ofer Cassif. He’s a member of Israel’s legislative body, the Knesset, representing the left-wing Hadash party. Cassif expressed his support for South Africa’s case and is now facing calls for his expulsion by fellow lawmakers. I spoke with him recently about his views and the controversy they’ve generated, and he started by explaining what exactly he’d like to see happen as a result of this trial.
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OFER CASSIF: So what is needed is a kind of an organization or institution that may – must be as impartial and unbiased as possible to…
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