NAIROBI, Kenya Jan 28 – Israel’s Ambassador to Kenya, Michael Lotem has criticized a ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel as “pathetic and outrageous.”
The UN’s top court on Friday ruled that Israel must prevent genocidal acts in Gaza even though it did not call for a ceasefire.
Ambassador Lotem, speaking to Capital FM News, however, expressed regret that the term “genocide” had been widely misused to portray Israel negatively in the ongoing conflict with Hamas in Gaza.
“What we do in Gaza is self-defense. Israel is exerting its right of self-defense,” he told this writer in an interview Saturday.
As a result, the Ambassador urged leaders worldwide, particularly in Africa, to reconsider their stance that Israel is engaging in genocidal acts in Gaza.
“Genocide is completely something else and that is not what Israel is doing,” he stressed.
The conflict in Gaza, which commenced on October 7, 2023, saw hundreds of Hamas members crossing from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel, resulting in the death of over 1,300 people, mostly civilians, and the taking of about 240 hostages back to Gaza.
While Ambassador Lotem and Israeli authorities assert what they call “self-defense”, South Africa, in its case, accuses it of violating the UN’s 1948 Genocide Convention.
In this interview, Ambassador Lotem maintained that the ongoing conflict primarily aims to neutralize the Hamas group, designated as a terrorist organization, while ensuring the safety of the entire Palestinian population.
“We do not conduct blind bombings but precise ones. We endeavour to protect the lives of the civilians at all times, he said despite accusations of mass killings which Israel has refuted and instead blamed the Hamas group.
In doing so, the Ambassador said that Israel employs different methods to alert civilians in the conflict zone of imminent danger and facilitate evacuation, including constant alerts, SMS, leaflets, and other means.
He, however, expressed regret that the complexity of the war has been worsened by the Hamas strategy of blending in among civilians.
“We will continue to call them to evacuate from areas in which there is intense fighting. There is intense fighting because Hamas hides not only amongst civilians but they hide beneath them,” he said.
Ambassador Lotem revealed that Hamas has constructed tunnels spanning 600 kilometres, utilizing locations such as schools, mosques, and hospitals for hiding and headquarters, thereby intensifying the complexity of the situation.
Despite the ICJ ruling mandating Israel to ensure humanitarian access, Ambassador Lotem affirmed Israel’s dedication to supplying essential aid, including medical supplies, food, and water, to the affected areas.
“We will continue with what we have been doing especially on facilitating supplies to Gaza. We are not fighting with the entire population of Gaza estimated to be 2 million but we are fighting with the Hamas leaders and the terrorists,” he said.
Amid increasing calls for a ceasefire, Ambassador Lotem dismissed the possibility of Israel and Gaza contemplating a two-state solution to resolve the conflict.
“This was a process that was dealt with by the Palestinian Authority and they rejected the process four times since Israel’s independence,” he said.
He asserted that initiating a dialogue between Israel and Palestinian authorities would be challenging, primarily because the Palestinian Authority has aligned itself with Hamas.
“We do not need a dialogue for this because the Palestinian Authority is hanging in with the Hamas. This is something that we decided to do out of our initiative because we do not want to punish all the civilians,” he said.
Despite the ongoing conflict and varying perspectives among African countries, Ambassador Lotem reassured of Israel’s dedication to maintaining its bilateral ties and called for reciprocal commitment.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa following the ruling emphasized that the ICJ’s verdict must be respected by all who acknowledge the court, including Israel.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu affirmed that Israel will “continue to defend ourselves and our citizens while adhering to international law.”
According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, over 26,000 Palestinians, predominantly women and children, have been killed in Gaza due to Israel’s bombardment since October 7, 2023.
