world news
South Africa is Hamas’s legal arm, Israel says after World Court ruling
South Africa serves as the legal arm of the terrorist group Hamas, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lior Haiat wrote on X Saturday after The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Friday said that it does not see the need for additional emergency measures to protect Palestinians’ rights following Israel’s Rafah offensive.
The court said the “perilous situation” in the Gaza Strip and Rafah particularly “demands immediate and effective implementation of the provisional measures” per its order on Jan. 26, and “does not demand the indication of additional provisional measures.”
“South Africa’s failed attempt to undermine Israel’s right to defend itself and its citizens from the Hamas terrorist organization provides further proof that its claims are baseless and unsubstantiated,” Haiat wrote.
“Through its actions, South Africa is serving as the legal arm of Hamas and is working to advance the interests of this terrorist organization.”The decision comes after South Africa asked the World Court to consider whether Israel’s plan to extend its offensive in Gaza into the city of Rafah requires additional emergency measures to protect Palestinians’ rights earlier this month.
A record 52 states will present arguments about the legal consequences of Israel’s ‘occupation’ of the Palestinian territories at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN’s highest legal body.
The ICJ’s six days of hearings starting on Monday come after the UN General Assembly asked the court in 2022 for an advisory or non-binding, opinion on the ‘occupation.’ While Israel has ignored such opinions in the past, it could add political pressure over its ongoing operation in Gaza, which the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza claimed has killed 28,775 people, mostly civilians.
It is part of a Palestinian push to get international law institutions such as the ICJ to examine Israel’s conduct which has become more urgent since the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas in Israel and Israel’s military response in the Gaza Strip.
“Politically, this will help in achieving a two-state solution. We are using the platform of the largest judicial body to advance our cause,” Omar Awadallah, a senior official in the Palestinian Foreign Ministry, told journalists at a briefing before the hearings.
The second hearing
It is the second time the UN General Assembly has asked the ICJ, also known as the World Court, for an advisory opinion related to the Palestinian territory. In July 2004, the court found that Israel’s separation wall in the West Bank violated international law and should be dismantled, though it still stands to this day.
“The International Court of Justice is set for the first time to broadly consider the legal consequences of Israel’s nearly six-decades-long occupation and mistreatment of the Palestinian people,” said Clive Baldwin, senior legal adviser at Human Rights Watch.
“Governments that are presenting their arguments to the court should seize these landmark hearings to highlight the grave abuses Israeli authorities are committing against Palestinians, including the crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution.”
The advisory opinion proceedings are separate from the genocide case that South Africa filed at the World Court against Israel for its alleged violations in Gaza of the 1948 Genocide Convention. In late January the ICJ in that case ordered Israel to do everything in its power to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza.
The outcome of the advisory opinion would not be legally binding but would carry “great legal weight and moral authority,” according to the ICJ.
The precise question put to the court is to give an opinion on the legal consequences of Israel’s “occupation, settlement and annexation … including measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status of the Holy City of Jerusalem, and from its adoption of related discriminatory legislation and measures.”
The general assembly also asked the 15-judge panel of the ICJ to advise on how those policies and practices “affect the legal status of the occupation” and what legal consequences arise for all countries and the United Nations from this status.
The court will hear over 50 states and three international organizations over six days of hearings including the United States, Russia, China and South Africa. While Israel has filed a written statement with the court, it has not asked to participate in the hearings. On Monday proceedings will start with submissions from the Palestinian authorities.
On Tuesday, February 11, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael – Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) will dedicate the Swords of Iron Forest together with bereaved families who have lost their loved ones during the war, since October 7, 2023. This forest will serve as a living tribute to fallen civilians and IDF personnel. The dedication will take place two days before Tu Bishvat, the Jewish “New Year” for Trees.
A Forest of Memory and Renewal
“We are planting the future, renewing the forest, and breathing fresh air into the region,” says Daniel Ben-David, KKL-JNF‘s Western Negev Director. “In a place where life was cut short, we will plant new roots and create a forest of memory and renewal.”
Ben-David emphasized that the Swords of Iron Forest is not just another project; it is a testament to resilience, renewal, and the unwavering spirit of the Gaza Envelope’s residents, who have endured unimaginable hardship. This forest will symbolize hope, remembrance, and the promise of new beginnings.
>> Honor Their Memory – Plant a Tree of Remembrance
The site of the Nova Music Festival massacre, recently restored and upgraded by KKL-JNF, now welcomes 5,000 visitors daily. Given the overwhelming response, KKL-JNF expects even greater numbers to visit the new Swords of Iron Forest each year.
Last Tu Bishvat, KKL-JNF held a moving tree-planting ceremony at the Nova Festival site, where families of victims and survivors planted new life in the soil. Now, just a short distance away, the Swords of Iron Forest will take root as part of the vast 11,000-dunam Be’eri Forest, originally planted in the 1950s and 1960s. For over 12 years, and especially on October 7, this region has suffered severe destruction from ongoing rocket fire, incendiary balloons, and terror attacks from Gaza.
“For years, we have been restoring scorched land, rehabilitating wounded trees, and developing nature sites to improve the quality of life for residents,” says Ben-David. “We have built bike paths, hiking trails, and recreation areas.The Swords of Iron Forest is not just about trees – it is about resilience, remembrance, and looking ahead to the future.”
In addition to the tree-planting activities in memory of those who fell during the war, KKL-JNF is also engaged in restoration efforts in Israel’s northern forests. This week, it will hold a large and unique planting event in Biriya Forest, with the participation of hundreds of people, including local municipality leaders from the border communities, senior commanders of the IDF Northern Command, soldiers, local school students, and pre-military academy cadets.
A Living Tribute: The Tree-Planting Ceremony
Over 10,000 participants are expected to attend the unique and meaningful event on February 11, planting 2,000 trees in memory of their loved ones – creating a lasting tribute and legacy for those they have lost.
The dedication of the Swords of Iron Forest is led by KKL-JNF under the leadership of its Chairwoman, Ifat Ovadia-Luski, with the participation of Bituach Leumi and the Defense Ministry.
>> Forever Growing, Forever Remembered. Plant a Tree.
This article was written in cooperation with KKL-JNF.
After Trump took office as US President, reports were published that the new administration is demanding the deportation of the terrorist Ahlam Tamimi, who was responsible for the attack of the Sbarro restaurant, from Jordanian territory. Tamimi was released in the Gilad Shalit deal in 2011 after being sentenced to 16 life sentences.
In 2017, the US Department of Justice published a criminal complaint and issued an arrest warrant against al-Tamimi. The FBI added her to the top of its most wanted list and offered a cash reward for her extradition and prosecution.
Attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, who represents the family of Channa Nachenberg, an American citizen who was critically injured in the attack at the Sbarro restaurant, is now revealing the actions taken behind the scenes, and that she was even called to an emergency meeting with the US Department of Justice’s counterterrorism task force.
The meeting was at the King David Hotel and attended by U.S. federal prosecutors and the FBI. At the meeting the American officials revealed that they were making public an indictment of Hamas terrorist Ahlam al-Tamimi who had assisted in the bombing of Sbarros.Al-Tamimi had been released from an Israeli prison during a prisoner release in exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and was living in Jordan. Al-Tamimi hosted a popular radio talk show where she regularly boasted about her membership in Hamas and the bombing she was involved in in Jerusalem.
Although the U.S. had demanded that Jordan extradite the freed terrorist responsible for the murder of 2 U.S. citizens and the maiming of many others such as Nachenberg, the Hashemite Kingdom refused. Jordan claimed there was no extradition treaty between Amaan and Washington.
Now as a prerequisite to meeting with President Trump the U.S. has demanded that King Hussein either deport the terrorist to a third country or extradite her to the U.S.
According to attorney Darshan-Leitner: “We have been waiting since the terrorist’s release in 2011 for the Americans to really demand her extradition. We were hopeful that this unrepentant terrorist murderer who has much Israeli and American blood on her hands, will finally be locked up, but this time with no chance of freedom. It’s outrageous that she was released by Israel and was allowed to live a life of comfort and freedom in Jordan. God willing she’ll finally face a real punishment for her Jew hatred and the lives she destroyed.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Egypt’s foreign minister on Tuesday it was important to ensure Hamas terrorists can never govern Gaza again, the State Department said, with their call coming after President Donald Trump suggested Egypt and Jordan should take more Palestinians.
Trump on Saturday floated a plan to “clean out” Gaza, where Israel’s war has killed tens of thousands and caused a humanitarian crisis, in comments that echoed long-standing Palestinian fears of being permanently driven from their homes.
The suggestion by Trump was not mentioned in the US State Department statement released on Tuesday after the call between Rubio and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty.
Jordan and Egypt had pushed back over the weekend after Trump’s comments that they should take in Palestinians from Gaza. Asked if this was a temporary or long-term solution, Trump had said: “Could be either.”“He (Rubio) also reinforced the importance of holding Hamas accountable,” the State Department said after Tuesday’s call.
“The Secretary reiterated the importance of close cooperation to advance post-conflict planning to ensure Hamas can never govern Gaza or threaten Israel again.”
Context
Rubio held a call a day earlier with Jordan’s King Abdullah, and the US statement after that call, too, did not mention Trump’s remarks on Palestinian displacement.
The latest bloodshed in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict was triggered on Oct. 7, 2023, when Palestinian Hamas terrorists attacked Israel, killing 1,200 and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
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