By Mohammed Salem, Nidal al-Mughrabi and Anthony Deutsch GAZA/THE HAGUE (Reuters) – Israel prepared to defend itself on Thursday at the top U.N. court against accusations of genocide in Gaza, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the first time publicly rebuffed calls by some right-wing ministers to permanently occupy the enclave. As Israel’s war against Hamas militants rages in Gaza, where Palestinian officials say 23,000 have been killed, the International Court of Justice in the Hague was set to open two days of hearings in a case brought by South Africa in December claiming the war viol…