“Today marks a dark day in the pursuit of justice as we express our deep disappointment and lament the decision of the International Court of Justice to grant provisional measures in response to South Africa’s false allegation that Israel is carrying out acts of genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza,” Ronald S. Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress (WJC), said in a statement in response to the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) decision to grant provisional measures in the case brought against Israel by South Africa regarding the Israel-Hamas war.
“We stress our certainty that, on the merits, the court will find that Israel is not violating the Genocide Convention in its final ruling.”
Lauder added, “We applaud Israel’s steadfast commitment to follow the laws of war and protect the civilians of Gaza. This is in stark contrast to Hamas, a terrorist organization that has consistently shown little to no concern for the well-being of the Palestinians in Gaza.
“We call on South Africa and other countries to change course and redirect their focus to advocate for the unconditional release of hostages and hold Hamas accountable for its heinous crimes on and since October 7.”
ICJ ruling will 'facilitate' Hamas's terror objections - EJC
European Jewish Congress (EJC) President Dr. Ariel Muzicant added, “While the court rejected the specific demand of South Africa for an immediate ceasefire, it requested of Israel to comply with measures which will only facilitate the aims and objectives of Hamas and its allies in its mission of terror against the Jewish State.
“If the Republic of South Africa truly wanted to benefit the citizens of Gaza, it would have been better occupied using its international links to pressurize Hamas and its allies to cease hostilities against Israel rather than bring this nefarious case for genocide,” Muzicant added.
“Not only is the accusation of genocide false, but we also cannot fail to note, as European Jews prepare to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day tomorrow, how this case cheapens the very essence of the term 'genocide,' the clear and deliberate attempt to destroy the existence of a people, an act directly experienced by the Jewish People in living memory,” Muzicant concluded.
Combat Antisemitism Movement CEO Sacha Roytman-Dratwa said “The ICJ’s interim ruling, coming a day before International Holocaust Remembrance Day, shames the memory of those who fought against genocide and the six million Jews on whose ashes the Genocide Convention was built. The ruling strips the rights of their descendants, the Jewish people in their indigenous and ancestral homeland, of their right to prevent another genocide. It sets a precedent that will deny the right of defense from all democracies fighting against terrorists who embed themselves among civilian populations. The ruling will be learned and studied by all terrorist organizations around the world and serve as a blueprint for them to be able to achieve their genocidal aims, without censure or attack. Finally, we recall that the ICJ made an unequivocal demand to immediately release all of the hostages, something which we share.”
Today is a dark day for justice and the very framework of international law. Instead of upholding the Rule of Law, the #ICJ has handed Hamas a victory and become a party to South Africa’s perversion of justice.
— Arsen Ostrovsky ️ (@Ostrov_A) January 26, 2024
Arsen Ostrovsky, human rights attorney and CEO of The International Legal Forum, an Israel-based global coalition of pro-Israel lawyers, added, “It should also not go unnoticed that this decision has been handed down on the eve of International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The very term 'genocide' was created in the wake of the Holocaust to describe the attempted annihilation of the Jewish people and is now being unconscionably weaponized and subverted by South Africa, in the wake of the single largest massacre of Jews, since the Holocaust itself.”