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US condemns S.Africa's 'meritless' genocide case against Israel

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Israeli army soldiers stand guard at a position near the Israeli-Gaza border, overlooking the Shujaiya neighborhood in the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel, December 29, 2023. Atef Safadi, EPA-EFE. " src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/tvpatrol/12/30/123023_gaza-strip_epa.jpg"/><figcaption>Israeli army soldiers stand guard at a position near the Israeli-Gaza border, overlooking the Shujaiya neighborhood in the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel, December 29, 2023. Atef Safadi, EPA-EFE.</figcaption></figure></div>WASHINGTON — The United States on Wednesday criticized South Africa for bringing a genocide case against Israel before the UN&#x27;s top court, rejecting accusations against its ally over the war in Gaza.&gt;https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/12/30/23/exhausted-gazans-desperate-for-war-to-end-as-israel-presses-offensiveThe International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague will next week hold hearings on a filing by South Africa that alleges &quot;genocidal acts against the people in Gaza&quot; and seeks to order Israel to end the military operation.&quot;This submission is meritless, counterproductive and completely without any basis in fact whatsoever,&quot; White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told a briefing.State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said separately that from a US assessment, &quot;We have not at this point seen acts that constitute genocide.&quot;&quot;Genocide is, of course, a heinous atrocity,&quot; Miller told reporters. &quot;Those are allegations that should not make be made lightly.&quot;<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/01/03/24/israel-ready-for-any-scenario-after-strike-kills-hamas-deputy-in-lebanon">Israel ready &#x27;for any scenario&#x27; after strike kills Hamas deputy in Lebanon</a></li></ul>Israel has angrily rejected the accusation by South Africa, with the foreign ministry calling it &quot;blood libel,&quot; a reference to ancient anti-Semitic conspiracies.South Africa has often criticized Israel and alleged parallels to its own history of apartheid.In The Hague application, South Africa says that Israel has been acting &quot;with the requisite specific intent... to destroy Palestinians in Gaza as part of the broader Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group.&quot;Following Hamas&#x27; Oct. 7 attack, Israel launched a relentless offensive that has reduced vast swathes of Gaza to rubble and claimed over 22,300 lives, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.US relations with South Africa have already been shaken over Pretoria&#x27;s refusal to join Western pressure on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/01/01/24/israel-army-warns-gaza-war-will-continue-throughout-2024">Israel army warns Gaza war will continue throughout 2024</a></li></ul>The US ambassador publicly accused South Africa last year of sending a ship of weapons to Russia, claims walked back by the State Department.<div>© Agence France-Presse</div>

Israel has rejected the accusation by South Africa, calling it blood libel, a reference to ancient anti-Semitic conspiracies.