Irish lawyer receives huge praise for powerful speech in the Hague

Her speech has been shared widely online.

An Irish lawyer has received a huge amount of praise for her closing speech at The Hague on Wednesday, January 11, while representing South Africa in its case alleging Israel is carrying out genocide. Blinne Ná Ghrálaigh KC, who also worked on the Bloody Sunday Inquiry, was on the team advising South Africa in its case accusing Israel of breaching the UN Genocide Convention. In her closing speech, Ms Ná Ghrálaigh said that this was "the first genocide in history where its victims are broadcasting their own destruction in real time." You can watch the speech below.

Irish lawyer receives huge praise for powerful closing statement in the Hague

Speaking in The Hague on Wednesday morning, Ní Ghrálaigh said:

“The international community continues to fail the Palestinian people, despite the overt dehumanising genocidal rhetoric by Israeli governmental and military officials matched by the Israeli army’s actions on the ground, despite the horror of the genocide against the Palestinian people being livestreamed from Gaza to our mobile phones, computers and television screens.”

She added that this is the “first genocide in history where its victims are broadcasting their own destruction in real-time in the desperate and so far vain hope that the world might do something”. “The world should be absolutely horrified. The world should be absolutely outraged. There is no safe space in Gaza and the world should be ashamed,” Ní Ghrálaigh told the court.

Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh's testimony condemning Israel for genocide will remembered for generations to come ?https://t.co/iDUpwIdo6L pic.twitter.com/JcSCxKOxS6

— Owen Jones (@OwenJones84) January 12, 2024

Ní Ghrálaigh's powerful speech has been shared widely across social media, with many praising the Irish lawyer. One person commented: "The Irish Government hesitated but an Irish woman, Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh, didn’t. Same as it ever was." Another said: "The closing statement of advocate Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh was utterly earth-shattering. Her whole presentation was incredible. In tears." A third said: "Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh's testimony condemning Israel for genocide will remembered for generations to come" Many online praised Ní Ghrálaigh's speech, while also condemning the Irish government for not supporting South Africa during the case. Opposition parties have also criticised the government for not joining the case in the International Court of Justice, highlighting that it previously joined proceedings against Russia for its actions in Ukraine. Join JOE’s WhatsApp community for first access to news, updates, and quizzes. Click on this link to receive news and the latest headlines directly to your phone. You can leave the group at any time.

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