Israel’s legal defence off to weak start

Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst Marwan Bishara says Israel’s legal team started off weak but made a few strong points near the end.

Bishara said the lawyers’ efforts to deflect blame for Israel’s attacks and ignore the context of Israel’s 75-year occupation of Palestine came across as “illogical”.

Their claims that Israel’s forces are trying to protect, rather than harm, civilians were also unconvincing given the toll of the war: 23,357 Palestinians, including 9,600 children, since October 7.

However, Bishara said Israel’s lawyers did well to zero in on the jurisdiction of the ICJ – pointing out that the court must specifically prove Israel is guilty of genocidal intent, not any other violations.

“You can claim Israel has committed heinous crimes, but if they do not fall under the framework of genocide, the court has no jurisdiction,” Bishara said.

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