Pro-Palestine march to take place in London on Saturday
A pro-Palestine march is set to take place in central London on Saturday. It will be the seventh demonstration in the capital since the Israel-Hamas conflict started in October last year. Hundreds of thousands of people have attended the six marches so far.
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign said the demonstrations have "[constituted] one of the largest, sustained political campaigns in British history". It said the protests were part of a "global day of action mobilising for a full ceasefire in Gaza" in 60 cities across more than 30 countries and hoped for "hundreds of thousands" in London.
Hamas, the UK-proscribed terrorist organisation which runs Gaza, launched a deadly attack in southern Israel on 7 October. Some 1,200 people, mainly civilians, were killed. Israel launched subsequent retaliatory attacks on Gaza, with more than 23,000 Palestinians killed and more than 58,000 wounded, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Israel has since also suffered losses from further Hamas strikes.
The UK government said it supports Israel’s right to defend itself following the Hamas attacks, but has also urged it to show restraint and act in accordance with international rules.
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This week, foreign secretary David Cameron said he was “worried” Israel may have acted in breach of international law. He called on Israel to restore water supply in Gaza but declined to be drawn on whether depriving the civilian population of it amounts to breaking laws on armed conflict.
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign, on the other hand, has accused Israel of genocide. Director Ben Jamal said ahead of Saturday’s "London March for Palestine", one of 60 taking place across the world: “The world needs to charge Israel with the gravest of crimes - genocide - not just in the International Court of Justice, but in the court of global public opinion.
“In the face of the failure of governments, including the UK, to act to uphold international law and defend fundamental human rights, people continue to take to the streets to protest, week after week. This Saturday, from Australia to South America, from Dacca to Washington, people of conscience will show the world demands a full ceasefire and an end to Israel’s impunity from international law.”
Israel rejects genocide claim in top court
Israel has rejected "grossly distorted" accusations brought by South Africa at the UN's top court that its military operation in Gaza is a state-led genocide campaign against Palestinians.
Arguing it is acting to defend itself and was fighting Hamas, not the Palestinian population, Israel called on the International Court of Justice to dismiss the case as groundless and reject South Africa's request to order it to halt the offensive. "This is no genocide," Malcolm Shaw, a British barrister representing Israel, said.
South Africa had told the court on Thursday that Israel's aerial and ground offensive aimed to bring about "the destruction of the population" of Gaza.
Israel rejected the accusations, saying it respected international law and had a right to defend itself. "The appalling suffering of civilians, both Israeli and Palestinian, is first and foremost the result of Hamas' strategy," the Israeli foreign ministry's legal adviser, Tal Becker told the court.
