While the strikes have not stopped, Israel faces, this Thursday, January 11, before the International Court of Justice accusations of “genocidal acts” in Gaza, formulated by South Africa and qualified by the Israeli president “atrocious” and “absurd”. “We will be before the International Court of Justice and we will proudly present our case of self-defense […] under international humanitarian law,” said President Isaac Herzog.
Information to remember
⇒ The two Al Jazeera journalists killed were “terrorist agents”, according to the Israeli army
⇒ Israel before the International Court of Justice on Thursday
⇒ Abbas would be ready to “reform the Palestinian authority” according to Blinken
Genocide: the Pretoria accusations
The Hamas attack on October 7 cannot justify Israel’s “violation” of the Genocide Convention, South Africa told the UN’s highest court on Thursday.
“No armed attack on the territory of a State, however serious it may be (…) can justify a violation of the convention”, affirmed the South African Minister of Justice, Ronald Lamola, before the International Court of Justice.
Israel says two Al Jazeera journalists killed were ‘terrorist agents’
Hamza Dahdouh and Moustafa Thuraya, who had worked as video journalists with several international media including AFP, were killed on Sunday in an attack on their car in the south of the Palestinian territory, while they were on assignment for the Qatari channel. “Prior to the strike, the two were piloting drones that presented an imminent threat to Israeli troops,” the army said in a statement. Asked by AFP about the type of drones used and the nature of this threat, the Israeli army responded late in the evening that it would examine this point.
“Hamza Dahdouh and Moustafa Thuraya (were) identified as terrorist agents from Gaza,” accuses the army. “Military intelligence confirmed that the two deceased were members of terrorist organizations based in Gaza and actively involved in attacks against Israeli forces,” according to this text.
UN Security Council demands immediate end to Houthi attacks
The UN Security Council on Wednesday demanded an “immediate” end to Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea, calling on all states to respect the arms embargo targeting Yemeni rebels. The resolution prepared by the United States and Japan, adopted by 11 votes in favor and 4 abstentions (Russia, China, Algeria, Mozambique), “condemns in the strongest terms the attacks, at least two dozen, against merchant ships and commercial since November 19, 2023”, the date on which they seized the Galaxy Leader, taking its 25 crew members hostage.
The resolution “demands that the Houthis immediately end such attacks, which hamper international trade and undermine navigation rights and freedoms, as well as peace and security in the region.” The Council, insisting on respect for international law, “takes note” of the right of member states to defend ships against attacks.
Abbas ready to reform Palestinian Authority, says Blinken
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday that Mahmoud Abbas was determined to reform the Palestinian Authority to potentially reunify the war-torn Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank.
“I don’t want to speak for President Abbas but I think what I take away from this meeting is that he is committed to doing this and he is very prepared to go from there. before,” Antony Blinken said in response to a question from Agence France Presse on Mahmoud Abbas’ commitment to reforming the Palestinian Authority.
Emilie Gomis leaves her role as ambassador for the 2024 Olympics
Former basketball player Emilie Gomis left her post as ambassador for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on Wednesday, after being criticized for an Instagram post about Israel, the Olympic Games organizing committee (Cojo) said in a statement. communicated.
The Paris-2024 general assembly, meeting on Wednesday, “considered that this publication contravened its duty of neutrality and no longer allowed it to be able to calmly carry out its missions with Paris-2024”, specifies the press release.
The Israelis “will know how to fight in Lebanon if necessary”
“After having fought in Gaza, we will know how to do it in Lebanon if necessary,” warned the army chief of staff, Herzi Halevi, on Wednesday to his troops during a visit to the Gaza Strip, according to an army statement reporting his remarks.
“After what you have done, there is not a village in Lebanon that you cannot enter and that you cannot destroy. We will place you in the right places, you will do what is necessary, a long war of the other side, and we will come out with good results,” Lt. Gen. Halevi added.
Lebanon: a civilian killed by a strike blamed on Israel
A boy “was killed by Israeli artillery fire while he was in the garden of his house,” said Hassan Sheyyet, the mayor of the Kfarkila village municipality. The victim was “a civilian, with no party affiliation,” he added, without further details. The official Lebanese news agency Ani, for its part, reported the death of “citizen Hassan Ali Tawil”, when “an Israeli artillery shell fell near his house” in Kfarkila.