Connect with us

RSS

‘Double-Speak and Double-Standards’: South African Jews Excoriate Government Over ICJ Case Charging Israel With ‘Genocide’

Supporters of Hamas demonstrating outside the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands. Photo: Reuters/Jehad Shelbak

South Africa’s Jewish community on Thursday accused the ruling African National Congress (ANC) of “double-speak and double-standards” on the opening day of the government’s case at the International Court of Justice charging Israel with committing genocide in Gaza.

In a statement shared with The Algemeiner, South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) president Prof. Karen Milner observed that only a week after the Oct. 7 Hamas pogrom in southern Israel — in which more than 1,200 people were murdered and over 200 kidnapped alongside multiple reports of rape, mutilation, and other atrocities — the South African government had already decided that Israel was guilty of “genocide.” It noted as well that during the same week, President Cyril Ramaphosa “failed to condemn Hamas’ brutal attack on Israel. To absolve Hamas of any complicity in the tragic loss of lives in Israel and in Gaza shows a thorough lack of understanding of the conflict.”

The statement highlighted that despite its legal campaign targeting Israel, the South African government had hosted international leaders facing charges of crimes against humanity, including former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Mohamed Dagalo, the commander of the RSF militia in Sudan that has carried out numerous atrocities against non-Arab minorities in the Darfur region.

“South Africa’s double-speak and double-standards is also evident with dogged determination to remain neutral and ‘talk to both sides’ in the Russian-Ukraine war,” Milner’s statement continued. “Yet, with Israel it has taken constant punitive action, including refusing to offer condolences to Israel after the Oct. 7 massacre, closing the SA Embassy, issuing a demarche to the Israeli ambassador. and now taking Israel to the ICJ.”

In its evidence submitted to the ICJ in The Hague, South Africa invoked the 1948 Genocide Convention, claiming that Israel’s military response to the Hamas pogrom was “intended to bring about the destruction of a substantial part of the Palestinian national, racial, and ethnical group.”

That point was emphasized in speeches to the court on Thursday by prosecuting lawyers. “The intent to destroy Gaza has been nurtured at the highest level of state,” Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, a lawyer for the High Court of South Africa, declared, while his colleague Adila Hassim said that “every day there is mounting, irreparable loss of life, property, dignity, and humanity for the Palestinian people.”

Israel will formally deliver its response to the charges on Friday. However, several Israeli politicians weighed in on Thursday with strong condemnation of the proceedings.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett described the ICJ case as “the Dreyfus Affair of the 21st century” — a reference to the late 19th century trial of French Army Capt. Alfred Dreyfus, a Jew, on false charges of espionage that triggered a wave of antisemitic violence across France. Separately, Economy Minister Nir Barkat asserted that “instead of starting proceedings against Hamas, the hypocritical court in The Hague charges Israel with false allegations, fabrications, and antisemitic blood libel plots.” Opposition leader Yair Lapid said in a post on social media that it was “not Israel that is on trial today, but the integrity of the international community.”

Said Lapid: “If a country that protects itself from a brutal murderous terrorist attack can find itself in court for genocide, then the genocide convention has become a reward for terrorism and antisemitism.”

Within South Africa, most opposition parties lined up behind the government in supporting the ICJ case.

“We welcome the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) hearing later this week for provisional measures relating to Israel’s obligations under the Genocide Convention,” Roger Jardine — the founder of Change Starts Now, a new party launched only last month — said in a statement.

The Democratic Alliance (DA), which has often been a thorn in the side of the ANC, offered only muted criticism, arguing that it was “a great pity that the South African government has consistently ignored gross human rights violations on our own doorstep,” Emma Powell, a spokesperson for the party, told local media outlets, before clarifying that “the DA will await the ICJ’s findings.”

More forthright opposition was expressed by the far right Patriotic Alliance, which dismissed the ICJ proceedings as “a joke.” However, party spokesperson Steve Motale later clarified that “we have never taken a side, except to push for a genuine two-state solution, which would bring the violence to an end. We have also been clear from the start that we condemn Hamas, who themselves preach and pursue policies and actions of clearly stated and performed genocide … We support a free Palestine too.”

Rev. Kenneth Meshoe — the leader of the pro-Israel African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) — bemoaned that “the South African government could have played a far more constructive role in influencing Hamas to release hostages after the deadly attack on Oct. 7, and even to surrender, to avoid the loss of civilian lives, and to seek to bring about a lasting peace in the Middle East.” He also expressed skepticism that South African government lawyers would succeed in proving that Israel has demonstrated “the necessary genocidal intent against the Palestinian people as required by the Genocide Convention.”

The post ‘Double-Speak and Double-Standards’: South African Jews Excoriate Government Over ICJ Case Charging Israel With ‘Genocide’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Continue Reading

RSS

New Poll: Majority of NYC Voters ‘Less Likely’ to Support Mamdani Over His Refusal to Condemn ‘Globalize the Intifada’

Zohran Mamdani Ron Adar / SOPA Images via Reuters Connect

Zohran Mamdani. Photo: Ron Adar / SOPA Images via Reuters Connect

In a warning sign for the campaign of Democratic nominee for mayor of New York Zohran Mamdani, a majority of city voters in a new poll say the candidate’s hardline anti-Israel stance makes them less likely to vote for him.

In the survey of likely city voters conducted by American Pulse, 52.5 percent said Mamdani’s refusal to condemn the slogan “globalize the intifada” coupled with his backing of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement made them less likely to vote for him in November. Just 31% of city voters polled were more likely to support him because of these positions.

At the same time, a significant share of young New York City voters support Mamdani’s anti-Israel positioning, a striking sign of shifting generational views on Israel and the Palestinian cause.

Nearly half  of voters aged 18 to 44 (46 percent) said the State Assembly member’s backing for BDS and “refusal to condemn the phrase ‘globalize the intifada’” made them more likely to support him.

Mamdani, a democratic socialist from Queens, has been under fire for defending “globalize the intifada,” a slogan many Jewish groups associate with incitement to violence against Israel and Jews. While critics argue it glorifies terrorism, supporters claim it’s a call for international solidarity with oppressed peoples, especially Palestinians. Mamdani has also voiced support for BDS, a movement widely condemned by mainstream Jewish organizations as antisemitic for singling out Israel.

The generational divide exposed by the poll comes amid a broader political realignment. Younger progressives across the country are increasingly critical of Israeli policies, especially in the wake of the Gaza war, and more receptive to Palestinian activism. But to many Jewish leaders, Mamdani’s rising support is alarming.

Rabbi David Wolpe, visiting scholar at Harvard University, condemned the phrase with a sarcastic analogy.

“‘Globalize the intifada’ is just a political slogan,” he said. “Like ‘The cockroaches must be exterminated’ was just a housing authority slogan in Rwanda.”

Jewish organizations have reported a surge in antisemitic incidents in New York and across the U.S. since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war last fall. The blending of anti-Zionist slogans with calls for “intifada,” historically linked to violent uprisings, has deepened fears among Jewish communities that traditional red lines are being crossed.

Whether this emerging coalition reshapes New York politics remains to be seen. However, the poll indicates that among younger voters, views that were once considered fringe are quickly moving into the mainstream.

The post New Poll: Majority of NYC Voters ‘Less Likely’ to Support Mamdani Over His Refusal to Condemn ‘Globalize the Intifada’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Continue Reading

RSS

Report: Jews Targeted at June’s Pride Month Events

A Jewish gay pride flag. Photo: Twitter.

The research division of the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) released a report on Wednesday detailing incidents of hate against Jews which took place last month during demonstrations in celebration of LGBTQ rights and identity.

Incidents reported by the group include:

  • At a Pride march in Wales, the activists Cymru Queers for Palestine chose to block the path and show a sign that said “Profiting from genocide,” an attempt to link the event’s sponsors — such as Amazon — to the war in Gaza.
  • A Dublin Pride march saw the participation of the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which labeled Israel a “genocidal entity.”
  • In Toronto at a late June Pride march, demonstrators again attacked organizers with a sign declaring, “Pride partners with genocide.”

CAM also identified a recurring narrative deployed against Israel by some far-left activists: so-called “pinkwashing,” a term which the Boycott, Divest, Sanctions (BDS) movement calls “an Israeli government propaganda strategy that cynically exploits LGBTQIA+ rights to project a progressive image while concealing Israel’s occupation and apartheid policies oppressing Palestinians.”

The report notes that at a Washington DC Pride event in early June Medea Benjamin, cofounder of activist group Code Pink and a regular of anti-war protests, wore a pair of goofy, oversized sunglasses and a shirt in her signature pink with the phrase “you can’t pinkwash genocide.”

Other incidents CAM recorded showed the injection of anti-Israel sentiment into Pride events.

A musical group canceled a performance at an interfaith service in Brooklyn, claiming the hosting synagogue had a “public alignment with pro-Israel political positions.” In San Francisco before the yearly Trans March, a Palestine group said in its announcement of its participation, “Stop the war on Iran and the genocide of Palestine, stop the war on immigrants and attacks on trans people.”

CAM notes that this “queers for Palestine” sentiment is not new, pointing to a 2017 event wherein “organizers of the Chicago Dyke March infamously removed participants who were waving a Pride flag adorned with a Star of David on the grounds that the symbol ‘made people feel unsafe.’”

In February, the Israel Defense Forces shared with the New York Post documents it had recovered demonstrating that Hamas had tortured and executed members it suspected of homosexuality and other moral offenses in conflict with Islamist ideology.

Amit Benjamin, who is gay and a first sergeant major in the IDF, said during a visit to New York City for Pride month that “All the ‘queers for Gaza’ need to open their eyes. Hamas kills gays … kills lesbians … queers cannot exist in Gaza.”

The post Report: Jews Targeted at June’s Pride Month Events first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Continue Reading

RSS

IAEA pulls inspectors from Iran as standoff over access drags on

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi at the agency’s headquarters in Vienna, Austria, June 23, 2025. REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl/File Photo

The UN nuclear watchdog said on Friday it had pulled its last remaining inspectors from Iran as a standoff over their return to the country’s nuclear facilities bombed by the United States and Israel deepens.

Israel launched its first military strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites in a 12-day war with the Islamic Republic three weeks ago. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s inspectors have not been able to inspect Iran’s facilities since then, even though IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has said that is his top priority.

Iran’s parliament has now passed a law to suspend cooperation with the IAEA until the safety of its nuclear facilities can be guaranteed. While the IAEA says Iran has not yet formally informed it of any suspension, it is unclear when the agency’s inspectors will be able to return to Iran.

“An IAEA team of inspectors today safely departed from Iran to return to the Agency headquarters in Vienna, after staying in Tehran throughout the recent military conflict,” the IAEA said on X.

Diplomats said the number of IAEA inspectors in Iran was reduced to a handful after the June 13 start of the war. Some have also expressed concern about the inspectors’ safety since the end of the conflict, given fierce criticism of the agency by Iranian officials and Iranian media.

Iran has accused the agency of effectively paving the way for the bombings by issuing a damning report on May 31 that led to a resolution by the IAEA’s 35-nation Board of Governors declaring Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations.

IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has said he stands by the report. He has denied it provided diplomatic cover for military action.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday Iran remained committed to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

“[Grossi] reiterated the crucial importance of the IAEA discussing with Iran modalities for resuming its indispensable monitoring and verification activities in Iran as soon as possible,” the IAEA said.

The US and Israeli military strikes either destroyed or badly damaged Iran’s three uranium enrichment sites. But it was less clear what has happened to much of Iran’s nine tonnes of enriched uranium, especially the more than 400 kg enriched to up to 60% purity, a short step from weapons grade.

That is enough, if enriched further, for nine nuclear weapons, according to an IAEA yardstick. Iran says its aims are entirely peaceful, but Western powers say there is no civil justification for enriching to such a high level, and the IAEA says no country has done so without developing the atom bomb.

As a party to the NPT, Iran must account for its enriched uranium, which normally is closely monitored by the IAEA, the body that enforces the NPT and verifies countries’ declarations. But the bombing of Iran’s facilities has now muddied the waters.

“We cannot afford that … the inspection regime is interrupted,” Grossi told a press conference in Vienna last week.

The post IAEA pulls inspectors from Iran as standoff over access drags on first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Continue Reading

Copyright © 2017 - 2023 Jewish Post & News