Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland positioniert sich gemeinsam mit seinen internationalen Partnern der J7 Task Force gegen die IGH-Entscheidung
Der Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland hat gemeinsam mit seinen internationalen Partnern der J7 Task Force die Entscheidung des Internationalen Gerichtshof gegen Israel vom Freitag, dem 26. Januar, kritisiert. Die Zurückweisung der extremen Forderung Südafrikas nach einem israelischen Waffenstillstand im Krieg gegen die Hamas in Gaza nimmt die J7 zwar zur Kenntnis, mit der einstweiligen Anordnung des Gerichts, Israel habe sicherzustellen, dass kein Völkermord an der palästinensischen Bevölkerung begangen wird, verleiht der IGH der absurden Anschuldigung Südafrikas aber ein in keiner Weise zu rechtfertigendes Gewicht. Der Gerichtshof macht sich damit unweigerlich zum Gehilfen einer moralisch obszönen Anti-Israel-Kampagne, die neben Südafrika auch von dem iranischen Regime betrieben wird. Die israelische Armee ist in hohem Maße bemüht, zivile unschuldige Opfer zu vermeiden, die von der Hamas nicht nur billigend in Kauf genommen werden, sondern Teil ihrer mörderischen Strategie zum in ihrer Charta verbrieften Ziel der Auslöschung des jüdischen Volkes sind. Angemessen wäre die Annahme des Antrags Israels auf Zurückweisung der gesamten Klage Südafrikas gewesen, über die nun aber noch in einem langwierigen Verfahren entschieden werden wird. Der Völkermord-Vorwurf wird dadurch schamlos politisiert und Opfer tatsächlicher Genozide verhöhnt.
Der Zentralrat und die J7-Partner unterstützen hingegen die Forderung des Gerichts nach der Freilassung der von der Hamas in den Gaza-Streifen verschleppten Geiseln. Darüber hinaus gilt der Dank der J7 den Verbündeten Israels wie Deutschland, den USA, Großbritannien, Italien, Guatemala, Österreich und anderen, die vor dem Internationalen Gerichtshof sich gegen die Anschuldigungen Südafrikas gestellt haben. Die J7, die Task Force der großen Gemeinschaften gegen Antisemitismus, wurde als Reaktion auf die zunehmende Verbreitung von Antisemitismus auf der ganzen Welt gegründet und umfasst große jüdische Organisationen in den Vereinigten Staaten, Kanada, dem Vereinigten Königreich, Deutschland, Frankreich, Argentinien und Australien.
Leaders of the J7, the Large Jewish Communities’ Task Force Against Antisemitism, issued the following statement in response to today’s International Court of Justice ruling on South Africa’s demand for an Israeli ceasefire in Gaza
„We take note of the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) appropriate rejection of South Africa’s extreme demand for an Israeli ceasefire – which tacitly recognizes Israel’s right to self-defense against Hamas and others in Gaza – as well as the ICJ’s call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. We are, however, disappointed by today’s International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) decision to issue a series of provisional measures against Israel, as it gives weight to South Africa’s preposterous claims.
Opponents of Israel are shamelessly politicizing the Genocide Convention, making a mockery of actual genocides, past, present and future. It is part of a broader and morally obscene, anti-Israel campaign, led by South Africa, with the backing of the Iranian regime and other governments hostile to the Jewish State. Their goal is to weaken Israel’s international standing, while bolstering the image of Hamas and other terrorist organizations committed to Israel’s violent destruction. It is unfortunate the ICJ, which is meant to serve as the ultimate standard-bearer for the international rule of law, has fallen victim, even if partially, to South Africa’s sinister ploy.
It’s important to note that the court’s provisional ruling – as repeatedly stated – is not a judgment on the merits of whether or not Israel’s actions amount to genocide, but rather aimed at “preserving” the state of affairs in preparation for a final ruling from the court, which could take months or years. We are confident the evidence will show that Israel is indeed compliant with the Genocide Convention, and the charges brought by South Africa are baseless in the eyes of the court.
The Court’s provisional measures will now likely be misconstrued by some to falsely argue Israel is in fact committing acts of genocide in Gaza. This would be a lie. The legal definition, as laid out in the 1948 Genocide Convention, states that genocide constitutes “… acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group…” The fact remains there is no objective evidence that Israel is targeting the Palestinian people as a whole, in Gaza or elsewhere. As Israel has repeatedly stated, its conflict is with Hamas terrorists – who on October 7 launched an unprovoked attack on Israel, torturing, raping, mutilating and butchering 1200 people, and kidnapping 240 others – not with the millions of Palestinian civilians living in Gaza.
Indeed, during its military operations, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have gone to great lengths to avoid civilian casualties. This includes giving advance warnings for civilians to evacuate targeted areas, creating humanitarian corridors for civilian safe passage, facilitating the delivery of truckloads of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and working with the United States and others to develop best practices on avoiding civilian casualties.
Rather than recognizing Israeli efforts to minimize civilian casualties – as per its obligations under international humanitarian law, which Israel fully abides by – the ICJ has sent a confusing and convoluted message that grants legitimacy to Hamas, an actual genocidal group, whose founding charter is rife with calls for anti-Jewish violence and other forms of antisemitism and extremism. More urgently, the ruling will be used by anti-Israel activists to further malign Israel and its supporters, and by antisemitic actors as “justification” for assaulting those advocating for the safety of the Jewish state and its citizens.
We are grateful to Israel’s allies, including the US, Germany, the UK, Italy, Guatemala, Austria, and others who have stood up to South Africa’s false accusations, and clearly rejected the genocide claim against Israel. We hope those governments and other like-minded states will similarly reject the ICJ’s interim ruling and continue to stand with Israel in defending itself against terrorism.“
The J7, the Large Communities’ Task Force Against Antisemitism, was formed in response to increasing rates of antisemitism around the world and comprises major Jewish organizations in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Argentina and Australia.
