Israel used Indian media to "defend" itself against charge of genocide

Delhi will continue to take cues from its Arab allies going forward, but it is unlikely to shift its policy towards Israel.
Azad Essa 13 January 2024

We witnessed history this week.

As several commentators have already said, their presentations were thorough and expertly delivered.

They stuck to the facts, demonstrating firstly Israel’s intent to decimate the people of Gaza, and secondly, the breathtaking damage to lives, property and infrastructure that has taken place since October 7.

After taking Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the charge of genocide in Gaza, South Africa’s legal team presented a stunning and devastating case against Israel during the hearing on Thursday.

As several commentators have already said, their presentations were thorough and expertly delivered.

They stuck to the facts, demonstrating firstly Israel’s intent to decimate the people of Gaza, and secondly, the breathtaking damage to lives, property and infrastructure that has taken place since October 7.

[FYI: The cataclysmic Israeli assault on Gaza has resulted in the murder of close to 24,000 Palestinians and the displacement of 1,9 million others].

The same cannot be said about Israel’s legal team.

In their presentation on Friday, they predictably laid blame on Hamas for the their army’s murderous rampage in Gaza; accused South Africa of erasing the context of October 7; and advised the court against granting South Africa’s request for a pause in Israel’s operations.

One of the many peculiar sightings in Israel’s presentation (among several) was the inclusion of one particular video as “evidence” of Hamas’ crimes.

The video purportedly, produced by Indian mainstream media group India Today, showed an audio recording of a Hamas fighter narrating his attack on October 7 back to his family in Gaza over a Whatsapp call. It is unclear if the audio call was ever verified.



Though Israel’s legal team left out India Today’s logo when it played the video at the ICJ, shortly after the session, India Today ran a Breaking News strap, proudly announcing to its viewers that Israel’s legal team had used one of its stories as part of its argument.

Not only does the video fail to offer a defense against the charge of genocide (given that Hamas was not trial), it was actually used as a placeholder for Israel’s legal team to argue: 1) it was actually Hamas who was committing acts of genocide against Israel; 2) Israel had a right to defend itself against Hamas; and 3) South Africa should use its influence over Hamas to end its genocidal intent against Israel.



The decision to refer to an Indian news channel’s report as “evidence” by the Israelis is absolutely stunning example of the ways in which India and Israel have converged in recent years.

As I have written previously, the Indian mainstream media, as well as several journalists, influencers, and politicians, have acted as willing agents of the Israeli effort to sell its story of “self defense” around the world.

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