Why does South Africa accuse Israel of genocide at the International Court of Justice and ignore genocides committed by Russia, Iran, and China? Moscow currently wages war to obliterate Ukrainians, their culture, and country. Iran perpetrates a decades-long “death to Israel” crusade and terrorist campaign to destroy the Jewish state. China abuses and decimates Muslim Uyghurs, a Turkic ethnic group in its Xinjiang Province bordering Kazakhstan in Central Asia. The actions of all three meet the definition of genocide which is the “intent to destroy, whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group”. And yet, South Africa accuses Israel of genocide even though it’s a victim. On October 7, Israel was viciously attacked by Iranian-supported Hamas. Its army retaliated by attacking Hamas which was burrowed in residential areas inside Gaza. Israel’s military warned civilians to evacuate by dropping leaflets, by phone calls, and online, then designated safe relocations. Unfortunately, thousands of civilians died. While tragic, the fact is that the Israel army attacked Hamas, not Gazans. This was defense, not genocide. “It is a legal absurdity to suggest that a country that is defending itself from genocide is thereby guilty of genocide,” commented retired Canadian Supreme Court Judge Rosalie Abella.
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