Searching for information on the International Court of Justice hearings yielded an Israel-sponsored ad calling the ongoing genocide hearing against it “meaningless.”


Israel is defending itself against allegations that its siege of Gaza is a genocide with Google search ads, in what appears to be a world first.

A Google search for the ongoing hearing against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) yielded an ad calling South Africa’s genocide case against it “meaningless” and linking to an Israeli government website for some users on Thursday. Motherboard viewed the ad, which appears above news coverage of the hearing being held in the Hague in the Netherlands. Google told Motherboard it reviewed the ad against its policies and did not take any action.

The ad was first noted on X when a user posted a screenshot of their Google search for “icj” which yielded a sponsored ad titled “Israel response to Hague ICJ” above the Google information panel for the ICJ. The ad includes subheadings of “October 7th: The Invasion” and “The North Border,” as well as survivor testimonies and resources.

Motherboard was not able to replicate the search using only the term “ICJ,” but was able to find the ad when searching “ICJ Israel.” The ad’s descriptive text reads in full, “SA’s claim is meaningless—the malicious blood libel advanced by South Africa seeks to slander the State of israel. South Africa’s claim lacks any factual or legal basis and renders meaningless.”

The ad links to the Israeli government website govextra.gov.il. The page lists information about Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack which killed 1,200 Israelis, and a video claims that “Israel is doing everything in its power to prevent harm to innocent civilians in Gaza and is acting according to international humanitarian law.”

read more: https://www.vice.com/en/article/m7b48q/israel-defends-itself-against-hague-genocide-allegations-with-google-ads

      • TheAnonymouseJoker@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        12
        arrow-down
        6
        ·
        10 months ago

        USA supported and encouraged apartheid in South Africa, and hated black revolutionaries for a reason. USA’s racial segregation policies were the inspiration for Hitler and his Reich regime.

        Morality is not your strong suit.

        • hottari@lemmy.ml
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          arrow-down
          3
          ·
          10 months ago

          The facts keeps breaking your brains as regards matters international foreign policy and the issue with Israel. Unless you send U.S soldiers to continue the genocide, an ICJ determination will prevail in Gaza. Your feelings do not matter on this. Only facts.

          • TheAnonymouseJoker@lemmy.ml
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            11
            arrow-down
            5
            ·
            10 months ago

            It is not my feelings, but yours that make you delusional and think ICJ can do anything against the vassal state of USA, Israel. I prefer dealing with facts and non-delusional people, and love mocking delusional people.

            • hottari@lemmy.ml
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              1
              arrow-down
              1
              ·
              10 months ago

              The USA is not the one on trial at the Hague, so you are definitely delusional and in your feelings there. And the ICJ has before put a stop to many genocides.

              • TheAnonymouseJoker@lemmy.ml
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                9
                arrow-down
                5
                ·
                10 months ago

                Which genocides are these committed by USA or its vassal states, that ICJ has put a stop to? The one in Yemen in last few years? Somalia last year? The one in Yugoslavia in 1990s? Iraq? Vietnam? The one where they wanted to make Ukraine fight against Russia till the “last Ukrainian” (and suddenly now forgot about them)? Or are you talking about the one right now where Israel has full support for militarily and via Western media propaganda?

                Which one of these is it that ICJ stopped? Because last I remember, ICJ and judges’ family members were sanctioned by the terrorist country USA, during the Iran case in 2020. https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/12/14/us-sanctions-international-criminal-court

                ICC investigations in Afghanistan and (drumroll) Palestine were thwarted by USA via sanctions in 2020. https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/09/02/qa-international-criminal-court-and-united-states#8

                The most funny part about this is I shared links from HRW, a CIA/NED outlet.

                • hottari@lemmy.ml
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  1
                  ·
                  10 months ago

                  The US has never had genocide cases brought against it to the ICJ, so you are theorizing the issue there. Instead of talking about hypotheticals, it is important to stick to factual events that actually took place while also making the distinction that the ICC is separate court that has nothing to do with the ICJ. ICJ stopped further genocide in Bosnia and recently for the Rohingya people in Myanmar. Here’s a list of all ICJ cases to date.

                  • TheAnonymouseJoker@lemmy.ml
                    link
                    fedilink
                    arrow-up
                    8
                    arrow-down
                    4
                    ·
                    10 months ago

                    The cases were not brought because ICJ and its judges and judges’ family members were threatened with sanctions if a case was even registered. Hague Invasion Act exists for this, no American ever being tried in ICJ.

                    I do not think you talk in good faith, and are just skirting around USA’s global terrorism by talking ICJ facts unrelated to USA.