International Jewish lawyers condemn misuse of false genocide charges against Israel amid war against Hamas

An international group of Jewish lawyers on Monday blasted the “baseless accusation of ‘genocide’ leveled at Israel by South Africa as a blatant attempt to subvert international law.”

South Africa has brought the accusation Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip before the International Court of Justice in The Hague, also known as the World Court.

In an unusual move, Israel has decided to appear before the World Court to defend itself against the genocide charge.

A statement released by the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists (IJL) accused the South African government of deliberately distorting the meaning of genocide for political purposes.

“South Africa further purports to prove ‘genocidal intent’ by presenting heated quotes from various Israeli politicians and other figures (made soon after the massacre of October 7th), none of which constitute official Israeli government statements or policy nor reflect the policies and practices of the IDF," the IJL said in a statement.

“By labeling Israel’s defensive war against Hamas an act of genocide, South Africa is effectively stripping the term of its meaning. If this is genocide, then many instances of the use of force in response to an armed attack could easily meet that definition,” the Jewish lawyers added.

The IJL restated that Israel is acting in self-defense against Hamas after the Gaza-based terrorist organization invaded Israel and massacred more than 1,200 Israelis on Oct. 7. In addition, Hamas terrorists and their operatives kidnapped some 240 Israeli and international hostages into the Gaza Strip.

“Israel is engaged in a military campaign against Hamas, an internationally designated terrorist organization, which launched a widespread attack inside Israel on October 7…taking control of over twenty towns and villages while murdering and wounding thousands,” the IJL lawyers wrote.

“The vicious attacks by Hamas and its allies have compelled Israel to defend itself by removing the threat of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, where it has exploited its control over the area, transforming it into a giant fortified military compound, configurated with one primary goal – to attack Israel and bring about its destruction,” the NGO added.

The group's statement condemned Hamas for its “cruelty, a rampage of murder, torture, rape, mutilation, and other atrocities, intentionally targeting civilians – babies, children, older persons, women, and men – just for being Jewish.”

IJL further argued that the supposedly high civilian death toll in Gaza is a direct result of the Hamas terror organization's decision to use Gazan civilians as human shields, which constitutes a war crime under international law.

“The tragic high Palestinian civilian casualty toll and level of destruction are an unfortunate, but inevitable, consequence of Hamas’ modus operandi of enmeshing its military-terror apparatus within the civilian environment,” said the IJL statement.

Israeli National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi recently blasted South Africa for weaponizing international law against the Jewish state.

“The State of Israel has signed the convention against genocide for decades, and we certainly do not boycott the discussion. We will stand by it and repel the absurd lawsuit that is a blood libel,” Hanegbi said.

The United States has also rejected the South African charges of “genocide” against Israel.

“Genocide is one of the most heinous atrocities that any individual can commit. Those are allegations that should not be made lightly ... we are not seeing any acts that constitute genocide,” U.S. State Department Spokesman Matt Miller said.