Secretary of State Antony Blinken has come out strongly against South Africa’s genocide case against Israel that was filed at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), calling it “meritless.”
Blinken made the comments during a press conference in Israel. “The charge of genocide is meritless,” he said. Blinken also called the case “galling” and claimed it distracted from efforts to work toward peace, but the US opposes the idea of a ceasefire in Gaza and continues to provide unconditional military support for the Israeli slaughter despite the massive civilian casualty rate.
During his visit to Israel, Blinken said the civilian death toll in Gaza is “far too high,” especially among children. But he gave no indication that the US is thinking about changing its policy of full-throated support for Israel, and US officials have repeatedly affirmed that the idea isn’t even being discussed.
South Africa’s 84-page application to the ICJ says Israel’s actions “are genocidal in character because they are intended to bring about the destruction of a substantial part” of the Palestinian population of Gaza. The filing cites the massive civilian death toll, the siege tactics that include food deprivation, and the genocidal rhetoric from Israeli officials. If Israel is found guilty of committing genocide at the ICJ, Blinken and other US officials would be implicated since they have provided so much support for the Israeli campaign.
The first hearings for the genocide case will take place at the ICJ in The Hague this Thursday and Friday. While a ruling could take years, South Africa is asking the court to quickly declare Israel is committing acts that might be genocidal and to issue an interim order to halt military operations.
The ICJ does not have the power to enforce the order, but it would be a major diplomatic blow for Israel and the US and would increase international pressure. Israel is working hard against the case and is asking its embassies to press officials in their host countries to issue statements denouncing the case, like Blinken and the White House have done.
Source: AntiWar.
