As ICJ decision looms, Netanyahu 'unconvincingly' denies inciting genocide

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has played down accusations of inspiring genocide following his uttering of the Old Testament quote, "Remember what the Amalekites did to you", as the military ground operation into Gaza began.

Israel launched its war in late October 2023 and has so far killed over 24,000 Palestinians, 70% of whom are women and children. 

The old bible passage has a long history of being used by Jewish individuals and groups on the far right to justify massacring Palestinians, according to observers.

"Among the absurdities levelled against Israel at The Hague was the charge that after the 7 October massacre Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu incited genocide by quoting the Biblical phrase "Remember what Amalek did to you", said a statement by the Prime minister's office on Tuesday, 16 January.  

"This false and preposterous charge reflects a deep historical ignorance", the statement added. 

Netanyahu supporters claim the quote referenced Hamas only and not the entire population in the Gaza Strip. 

'Not convincing'

Dr Anat Matar believes Netanyahu's most recent statement rejecting the genocide charge is a strategy crafted with the ongoing proceedings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in mind. Matar is a philosophy lecturer at Tel Aviv University who filed a petition to the ICJ on 9 January, supporting South Africa's case at the World Court, which accuses Israel of genocide in Gaza. 

"The present reaction [by Netanyahu]' is not convincing," Dr Matar told The New Arab. "When 'Remember what Amalek did to you' is written in abstract contexts, referring to the holocaust, it's obvious it is not directed to present-day Germany but the Nazis themselves. In the present case, these words are accompanied by deeds, whose details we heard from the South African delegation last Thursday. The Aamlek comparison has to be read in relation to what the Israeli army has been doing in the Gaza Strip since 7 October - and especially the atrocities women, children, and the elderly have suffered from", Dr Anat added. 

As a Christian who reads his Bible, including the Hebrew Bible, and has a degree in biblical studies, this is biblically illiterate.

The text reads as follows:

”Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and… https://t.co/CpUngJK56O

— Khalil Sayegh (@KhalilJeries) January 13, 2024

Israel is anxiously awaiting the ICJ decision regarding South Africa's demand for provisional measures to effect a ceasefire in Gaza. A ruling on the genocide accusations is not expected anytime soon.