Abuse of the term ‘genocide’

In recent days, the international community has witnessed a legal battle unfold at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), where South Africa has raised concerns about Israel’s actions in a war with Hamas. The root of the matter revolves around the use and abuse of the term “genocide” and the broader attempt to delegitimize Israel’s existence.

Israel’s commitment to the “Never Again” is rooted in its tragic history. The Genocide Convention, ratified by Israel early on, holds a special significance for a nation that emerged from the ashes of the Holocaust, after one third of the nation (6 million Jews) was exterminated simply because they were Jewish. Raphael Lemkin, a Polish Jew who witnessed the unspeakable horrors of the Holocaust, coined the term “genocide” to encapsulate the unprecedented evil witnessed during those dark days. Lemkin and other Jewish experts were amongst those leading and negotiating this convention. Israel’s incorporation of the convention’s provisions into its domestic legislation reflects a sincere dedication to preventing such horrors from recurring.

South Africa has now sought to invoke this term in the context of Israel’s conduct in a war it did not start and did not want. A war in which the State of Israel is defending itself against Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other terrorist organizations that simply want to murder Jews and annihilate the State of Israel – aren’t these genocidal goals? It is easy to forget that Israel is attacked from all directions, Hamas and IJ from the South (Gaza) and East (West Bank), Hezbollah from the North (Lebanon), the Houthis from Southeast (Yemen) and Iran from the East. How many states are not recognized and have to live under a threat of destruction, elimination and terrorism? The answer is simple – only Israel.  

Israel finds itself in the position of defending its citizens against brutal attacks that started on Oct. 7. An attack that led to more than 1,200 Israeli casualties, more than 240 kidnapped and 132 still held hostage.

Israel has announced that the war is not against the Palestinian people but against Hamas only. In fact, Israel is facilitating the entrance of humanitarian