British international law expert Malcom Shaw has been selected by Israel to defend them against South Africa’s charge of genocide at the International Court of Justice on Jan. 11-12. The Times of Israel reported that his appointment was confirmed by an Israeli official on X. He is to lead an Israeli team that will include some from the Ministry of Justice and others hired by Israel, according to Ynet. They go on to describe him as a “Jewish Zionist renowned for his expertise in international law who brings extensive experience in appearing before the International Court of Justice.”
Shaw, as reported by Haaretz, “has advised the British government, other foreign governments and international organizations and has appeared before the ICJ in the past, as well as the European Court of Human Rights and Britain’s highest court.” They report that Hebrew University’s international law expert Dr. Tamar Megidd told Haaretz that Shaw will have to argue that Israel is complying with internation al genocide law and that the statements by senior Israeli officials to the contrary (e.g., “there are no innocents in Gaza") are not connected with Israel’s official policy or what the army is actually doing. They write that Military Advocate General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi warned senior army officers last week “that there’s a real risk of the ICJ issuing such an injunction” against the present military activity.
