Israel is currently defending yet another bogus case against it filed by the pro-Hamas South African government at the International Court of Justice (IJC) at the Hague.

It should be noted that a group of 160 lawyers has issued a call to the Biden administration to launch an investigation into South Africa’s ruling party, the African National Congress Party (ANC), for “acts of significant corruption involving bribery” – specifically accepting bribes from Iran to cover the party’s debts in return for accusing Israel of genocide at the IJC.

On Friday, Israel responded to South Africa’s newest appeal to the court to halt Israel’s operation in Rafah.

Dr.Gilad Noam, the Israeli Justice Ministry’s Deputy Attorney General of International Law, addressed the judges, calling the case “a mockery of the heinous charge of genocide. Israel is engaged in a war it did not want and did not start. It is under attack and is fighting to defend itself and its citizens. Hamas has vowed to continue the atrocities of October 7 many times over.”

Noam added that Israel has found almost 700 tunnels in Rafah, including 50 colossal tunnels the size of motorways between Rafah and Egypt.

“Rafah in particular is a focal point for ongoing terrorist activity. Nearly 700 tunnel shafts have been identified in Rafah, from which approximately 50 tunnels cross into Egypt. These tunnels are used by Hamas to supply itself with weapons and ammunition and could potentially be used to smuggle out of Gaza hostages or Hamas senior operatives.”

The discovery of these tunnels leaves Egypt with a lot to answer for and is the real reason Egypt has expressed such strong opposition to Israel’s operation in Rafah. At worst, it collaborated with Hamas and earned millions of dollars in smuggling operations of illegal weapons from Iran into Gaza, and at best, it did nothing to thwart it.

Egypt depends on billions of dollars in US military aid that is contingent on its peace treaty with Israel.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)