South Africa Accuses Israel of Genocide at International Court of Justice
Summary from the AllSides News Team
South Africa accused Israel of enacting a genocide against Palestinians in Gaza at the International Court of Justice on Thursday. Israel said South Africa distorted the truth.
The Details: Lawyers representing South Africa argued that Israel’s purportedly genocidal acts included mass killings, forced displacement, food and water blockades, and destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system. Pointing to Hamas’ deadly October 7 attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the opposite was true: “Israel is accused of genocide while it is fighting against genocide.”
‘Powerful Case’: Nimer Sultany (Not Rated), a Palestinian citizen of Israel, wrote in The Guardian (Lean Left bias) that South Africa’s accusation was “a wake-up call for many Western governments and media outlets that uncritically supported Israel’s savage war.”
‘Time to Ask Some Hard Questions’: Fareed Zakaria (Center bias) argued in The Washington Post (Lean Left bias) that Israel’s war was not a genocide. However, he questioned whether the destruction in Gaza was proportionate, saying it was “being perpetrated by a deeply unpopular government in Jerusalem that is trying to salvage its reputation.” Israel should ask these questions now, Zakaria wrote, “so that it does not look back on this episode with shame and regret.”
‘Political Theater’: The Wall Street Journal (Opinion rated Lean Right) Editorial Board said South Africa was volunteering “to be legal counsel for Hamas” and “sees U.N. grandstanding as a way to curry favor with Russia, China and Iran.” The editors also noted cases where South Africa turned a blind eye to dictators and mass killings in Africa.
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From the Right
Genocide Gets Political at the U.N.
The United Nations has done little while Russia has slaughtered innocent Ukrainians, but suddenly the body has a cause it can get behind—charging Israel with genocide for the crime of self-defense. The U.N.’s International Court of Justice (ICJ) began hearings Thursday on South Africa’s charge that the Jewish state is committing genocide in its war against Hamas.
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Israel’s war in Gaza isn’t genocide, but is it proportionate?
It is now almost three months since Benjamin Netanyahu’s government launched its ground invasion of Gaza, and it is time to ask some hard questions: Has it been proportional to the damage that Hamas inflicted on Israel? Has the Israeli military been careful to avoid civilian casualties? Was there another path?
I write this as a supporter of Israel, a country that I believe has been a remarkable success in an environment that was for decades deeply hostile toward it — and where some countries, such as Iran, remain opposed to...
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It’s not just Israel in the dock over genocide, it’s everyone who looked away
The powerful case brought by South Africa against Israel at the international court of justice under the genocide convention is a wake-up call for many western governments and media outlets that uncritically supported Israel’s savage war. They should now reflect on the fact that they may have supported a genocide. South Africa’s case marked the first time since 7 October 2023 that the story of Gaza and the Palestinians has been so powerfully told through official channels, piercing through propaganda and obfuscation. It is hard not to be overwhelmed.
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