The United States has unequivocally rejected South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) concerning the war in Gaza.
South Africa contends that Israel is engaging in “genocidal” acts in Gaza, as detailed in the case filed with the ICJ last week.
“As pertains the United States, we are not seeing any acts that constitute genocide,” stated Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the US Department of State, on Wednesday.
He acknowledged, however, that there are ongoing military operations that pose a risk to the Palestinian population.
John Kirby, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, echoed this sentiment on Wednesday, deeming the case “meritless, counterproductive, and completely without any basis in fact whatsoever”.
Israel has vehemently rejected South Africa’s genocide allegations, dismissing them as “baseless” and labelling them “blood libel.”
In the ongoing conflict, South Africa aligns itself with the Palestinian cause, while the United States provides support to Israel through several forms of military assistance and weapons. The US also does not recognise Palestine as a state.