Reps. Cherfilus-McCormick, Allred Lead Letter Expressing Disappointment with South Africa’s International Court of Justice Case Against Israel

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representatives Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) and Collin Allred (D-TX), members of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, expressing their disappointment with South Africa’s claims against Israel at the International Court of Justice, which baselessly accuses Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinian people.  

“We fervently stand with the State Department’s public determination that Israel’s current military operations against Hamas in Gaza do not constitute as a genocide, pursuant to Article 2 of the U.N. Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (‘the Genocide Convention’). Israel has not only a right, but also a responsibility to defend itself in the face of Hamas’ unprecedented attack. In light of this, we are dismayed by the allegations brought by South Africa to the International Court of Justice in The Hague (ICJ) accusing Israel of committing genocide against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip,” the Members stated.  

“The allegations brought by South Africa are reprehensible, deliberately one-sided, and represent the clear misuse of international mechanisms meant to prevent and punish perpetrators who truly have the intent to eliminate a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group,” the Members continued. 

“While we agree with the Biden Administration’s goal for a peaceful long-term political solution to the conflict, we believe that South Africa’s case against Israel at the ICJ is detrimental to those efforts,” the Members concluded. 

The full text of the letter can be found here.