The International Court of Justice was set up in The Hague in the wake of the greatest human tragedy in history. The systematic and industrial-scale murder of six million Jews knew no precedent. And it still doesn’t. It was a horrific genocide in every sense of the word.
In 2024, that same court is being used as a weapon against the Jewish state, which is fighting terrorist organizations that take pride and inspiration from Nazi Germany; organizations that call for the genocide of the Jewish people, to finish off the job Hitler started.
Genocide – the deliberate act of destroying or trying to wipe out an entire people – is the worst of all crimes. By using this term to describe Israel’s legitimate war of defense against Hamas, Israel has been framed in a way that will take generations to undo.
Indeed, when leaders of the South African ruling party, the ANC, sat with leaders of Hamas – the proscribed terrorist organization that actually calls for the genocide of Jewish people all over the world – to plan their international campaign against Israel, there was no moral code, there was no human decency.
South African ANC and Hamas
When they met in the wake of the greatest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, there was no nuance or genuine concern for justice. There was malice. There was cynicism.
Jewish children had just been burned alive in their parents’ arms. Young Jewish girls had been gang raped at a peace party. Yet there was no condemnation at this meet and greet between the ANC and Hamas. There was no criticism. Rather, handshakes and photo-ops.
But there is no doubt that this alliance of evil has registered a real victory. By bringing the libelous narratives that they have been promoting for over two decades in the court of public opinion to the court of international law, they have succeeded in dictating the agenda.
But it isn’t just in South Africa. Indeed, for years, the Palestinians, both radical and moderate, have been harnessing civil society organizations in the West, creating false alliances between oppressed minorities to promote these narratives among students, labor organizations, and human rights organizations. When the enemy is the white man, the Jews are white. When the enemy is colonialism, Jewish nationalism is colonialism.
None of this is new. But the fact that genocidal sections of the Hamas charter have morphed into genocidal chants against the Jews, which have become both accepted and normalized on the campuses from Berkley to Harvard, from MIT to Cornell, needs to be challenged.
The boycott movements, just like Hamas, have never called for a two-state solution. They have never called for peace or reconciliation. They have never called for coexistence. Quite the opposite.
They have been committed to resistance. Resistance at all costs. They have even ostracized members of Palestinian society who have pursued normalization. Today, these groups have become the campus arms of the terrorist organizations. They deny the massacres, whitewash the rapes, and unapologetically condone all forms of so-called “resistance.”
And they have put Israel on the back-foot.
South Africa, in bed with the likes of Iran and Russia, is happy to see the global focus on Israel, to put Israel on the defensive. And by using the outrageous claim of genocide to describe Israel’s war of self-determination, the frame of the debate has been set.
Israel can bring all the evidence in the world. Tunnels under mosques. Rocket launchers in schools. Terror headquarters in hospitals. Arms depots in civilian houses. But the terms of debate will not change.
Until we begin to educate.
Organizations like The International March of the Living recognize the pivotal role of education in dispelling myths, fostering understanding, and promoting tolerance. By enlightening future generations about past scourges of hate, we strive to create a world where evidence and truth can overcome the distortions.
The struggle against antisemitism and the defense of Israel’s legitimacy require a concerted effort to challenge misrepresentations and promote a more informed, nuanced dialogue on the complex realities of the region.
Through education, we can pave the way for a future where justice prevails over malice, and where the lessons of the Holocaust guide us towards a world free from hatred and prejudice.
The writer is deputy CEO of the International March of the Living.