A FORMER editor for Channel 4 has called out UK news stations for not showing the ongoing International Court of Justice (ICJ) hearing against Israel live on TV.
Ben de Pear took to Twitter/X to highlight the “incredibly impressive case” South Africa has launched accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
“Everything that’s openly available for all to see presented with clarity,” he added.
The TV journalist then called out the BBC and Sky News for not showing the case as it happened live on TV.
Incredibly impressive @CIJ_ICJ from South Africa, everything that’s openly available for all to see presented with clarity. It has been hard for broadcasters or journalists to tell the full story without access but neither @BBCNews @SkyNews showing this live as it unfolds. Why ?
— Ben de Pear (@bendepear) January 11, 2024
He said: “It has been hard for broadcasters or journalists to tell the full story without access but neither @BBCNews @SkyNews showing this live as it unfolds. Why?”
Sky News streamed the hearing live on its YouTube channel, but they were not televised.
Proceedings for day one of the case are now wrapped up, as South Africa demanded that Israel immediately suspend its military operations in and against Gaza and take all “reasonable measures within their power” to prevent genocide.
A team of top lawyers at The Hague laid out the ways in which South Africa believe Israel is committing genocide.
And a statement from Irish lawyer Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh KC has sparked a particularly emotional response.
South Africa has been a fierce critic of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
Many, including President Cyril Ramaphosa (below), have compared Israel’s policies in Gaza and the West Bank with South Africa’s past apartheid regime of racial segregation.
Ramaphosa has accused Israel of war crimes and acts “tantamount to genocide”.
Israel will defend itself against the charges tomorrow (January 12), a rare engagement with the world body, which Israel often denounces as biased against it.
Its decision to respond signals that the government is concerned about the potential damage to its reputation.
Eylon Levy, an official in the Israeli prime minister’s office, on Tuesday accused South Africa of “giving political and legal cover” to the October 7 attack by Hamas that triggered Israel’s campaign.
“The state of Israel will appear before the International Court of Justice at the Hague to dispel South Africa’s absurd blood libel,” he said.
