Israeli Member of Knesset Gideon Sa’ar stated that Israel may bring Iran to trial at the International Court of Justice over genocide and extermination charges. Sa’ar mentioned that Iran supports terrorist organizations, such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which recently carried out attacks against Israel. Sa’ar believes there is enough evidence to present a case to the court in The Hague. This comes after hundreds of Hamas terrorists crossed into Israel from Gaza on October 7, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping around 250 more.
Israel was in court on Friday following a complaint from South Africa, which accused Israel of genocide. While the official ruling could take over a year, the ICJ issued a provisional order for Israel to refrain from actions that may lead to genocide, but did not demand an end to Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.
Iran’s desire to destroy Israel
Iran has openly stated its goal of destroying Israel and recently executed four individuals allegedly linked to a Mossad operation after rejecting their appeal. Iranian leaders frequently refer to Israel as “a cancer” and an illegitimate country.
“There are public statements by senior Iranian officials in favor of destroying Israel,” Sa’ar added.“Israel is a small and persecuted nation that is fighting for its life and at the same time is fighting on the international stage for its right to self-defense,” Saar said. “It is a nation that is truly at risk of genocide given that there are enemies around it that declaredly want to destroy it.”