The International Court of Justice had no moral right to order Israel to cease its “just war of self-defense,” Chief Rabbi of South Africa Warren Goldstein said commenting on the ICJ verdict regarding South Africa’s accusations of genocide against Israel.
Instead, he stated, the judges should have expressed the gratitude of the international community of civilized nations for the bravery and sacrifice of Israel’s soldiers, who are fighting the forces of barbarism in the Middle East.
>> Watch additional episodes by Rabbi Warren Goldstein, Chief Rabbi of South Africa: https://www.youtube.com/@chiefrabbigoldstein
Goldstein drew a comparison between 1938, the eve of the Nazi domination of Europe, and 2024, when Iran and its proxies threaten Israel. “When confronted with fearsome enemies, Jews of previous generations had no choice but to take flight,” he said. “This generation can and will fight. It is 2024, and the Jewish people do not have to go on our knees to beg for the right to defend ourselves against those who seek to exterminate us.”
The October 7 massacre
While the October 7 attacks were the bloodiest slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust, Goldstein explained, “We are not living in Holocaust times. The IDF is defending Jewish lives and making sure such an attack can never be repeated.”
In addition to having a sovereign Jewish nation with its own army, Goldstein pointed out that unlike in 1938, today the worldwide Jewish community, most of which lives in free democracies, has allies around the globe who, unlike the International Court of Justice, clearly see the justice of Israel’s cause. “They realize that this is not just a war against the Jews,” he noted. “This is a war against the cherished values of the free world: human dignity, freedom, tolerance, the rule of law and basic human rights.”
>> Watch additional episodes by Rabbi Warren Goldstein, Chief Rabbi of South Africa: https://www.youtube.com/@chiefrabbigoldstein
Goldstein spoke of the Jewish community in South Africa, which was at the forefront of the anti-apartheid movement to liberate South Africa from its racist regime and has been a major contributor in advancing the new South Africa in all fields of human endeavor.
Referring to the African National Congress (ANC), the political party that has governed the country since 1994, he declared, “We stand tall and strong with Israel and oppose the naked prejudice and aggression of the ANC government against the Jewish state. And we are not alone in this. The ANC is not the people of South Africa. In the same way, we as Jews have been betrayed by the ANC, and millions of other South Africans are betrayed by the ANC corruption and incompetence,” adding that the ANC’s support for anti-western regimes “betrays the values of the South African people.”
Praising the free press in South Africa, Goldstein said that the press is investigating business and financial ties between the ANC and Iran, with allegations that it initiated the ICJ application in exchange for funding to clear its debts, as well as the partnership between South African telecom MTN and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Referring to the Biblical story of the Exodus from Egypt, Goldstein noted that the Jews of the Exodus, even after they had left Egypt, retained their slave mentality and lost their nerve. The Jewish people today, he said, must be aware of its strength, its purpose, and its dignity. “We need to believe in ourselves, and we need to send the message to all of our enemies that we will not be cowered, we will not be pushed around, we will not be slaughtered with impunity,” he concluded.
>> Watch additional episodes by Rabbi Warren Goldstein, Chief Rabbi of South Africa: https://www.youtube.com/@chiefrabbigoldstein