‘Scrambled Papers’: Israel’s British Lawyer Keeps Losing Place During Defence Argument Disaster

The British lawyer defending Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Professor Malcolm Shaw KC, lost his place several times in his defence argument after “someone” shuffled his papers.

The professor of international law somehow managed to hold it together as he lost his place several times in a statement that sought to rebut accusations of genocide against Israel by South Africa over the ongoing Israeli campaign in Gaza.

As his argument progressed, Shaw flipped the page to find that they were not in order.

“Excuse me,” he said. “I’ve lost a page.”

Later, when the same thing happened, he paused again.

“Well, someone has shuffled my papers,” Shaw said, as he scrambled to rebuild his statement on the stand.

What followed was a prolonged awkward silence as Israel’s defence team could be seen attempting to point the lawyer to his place from copies of the statement as others in the chamber waited.

Shaw’s opening arguments focused on several key points regarding the dispute between South Africa and Israel. He suggests that if South Africa had engaged in dialogue, they might have realised there was no dispute warranting court intervention.

Regarding the accusations of genocide, Shaw argued that there is a lack of evidence to prove Israel’s genocidal intent towards Palestinians. Shaw further contextualised Israel’s actions in Gaza, especially in response to the October 7 attack by Hamas. He asserted that while this does not justify any breach of international law, it does support Israel’s right to self-defence in accordance with humanitarian law.

South Africa brought its case Thursday, accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, with Israel delivering its defence Friday. Israel has denounced the allegations as “baseless” and akin to an “absurd blood libel,” asserting its actions are in self-defence against Hamas.