By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The death toll in the Gaza Strip continues to mount by the day as the world awaits a decision from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel.
Around 24,500 Palestinians have now been killed in Israeli attacks, with more than 61,500 injured. Millions more displaced people are living through what UN experts said again on Wednesday is an “unfolding genocide,” warning that “Gazans now make up 80% of all people facing famine or catastrophic hunger worldwide.”
The charges South Africa laid out against Israel at the ICJ focused on five main “genocidal acts” – the mass killing of Palestinians, infliction of serious mental and bodily harm, forced displacement and blockade on essential supplies, complete destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system, and preventing births in Gaza by blocking life-saving medical treatment and aid.
Israel’s response was centered on its right to self-defense against Hamas, denying that it has “genocidal intent,” asserting it has been trying to “minimize” civilian harm, and questioning the ICJ’s jurisdiction to handle the case.
The legislators of the 435-member lower House of Representatives signed a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday urging him to denounce what they call SA’s “grossly unfounded case against Israel …, accusing Israel of genocide and asking the court to order Israel to immediately halt its military efforts in Gaza”.
In a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Kathy Manning (D-NC), Co-Chairs of the House Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, led 208 fellow Members of Congress in denouncing the hostile genocide allegations levied by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
“South Africa has filed a grossly unfounded case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of genocide and asking the court to order Israel to immediately halt its military efforts in Gaza,” the 210 lawmakers wrote. “We write to you to express our disgust at this filing, which perpetrates false and dangerous allegations against the Jewish state.”
Supported by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the Smith-Manning letter urges the Biden Administration “to offer Israel all appropriate support in opposing the South African application to the ICJ, and to encourage our allies to join us in speaking out against this unfounded attack on Israel, particularly at the United Nations and in other intergovernmental organizations.”
“While barely acknowledging the Hamas terrorists who gleefully massacred, mutilated, raped, and kidnapped innocent civilians on October 7, South Africa makes grossly unfounded and defamatory charges against Israel on the world stage, abusing the judicial process in order to delegitimize the democratic State of Israel,” continued the lawmakers, noting the accusation was particularly cynical given the term “genocide” was coined following the murder of 6 million Jews in the Holocaust.
“We vigorously denounce South Africa’s deeply hostile stance towards Israel and thoroughly reject its charge of genocide,” the lawmakers wrote to Blinken.
Since the first hearings at the ICJ, Germany – a dominant force within the EU – and the UK have expressed support for Israel, though in less lurid terms than those used by the US legislators.
The US and EU are Israel’s most important funders and trading partners.
The court is likely to take much longer, possibly years, to make a final determination on whether or not Israel has violated the 1948 Genocide Convention through its bombardment and ground assault on Gaza.
There are currently 15 judges on the case – from Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Jamaica, Japan, Lebanon, Morocco, Russia, Slovakia, Somalia, Uganda, and the US – along with one ad hoc judge each from South Africa and Israel.
The judges from Jamaica, Morocco, Russia and the US are leaving next month, and will be replaced by others judges from Mexico, Romania, South Africa and the US.