NEW YORK – In a letter signed on Tuesday, almost 200 bipartisan members of Congress asked Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to continue supporting Israel in opposing South Africa’s allegation of genocide at the International Court of Justice.
The 146 Republican and 64 Democratic representatives who signed the letter said they wrote to “express [their] disgust at this filing, which perpetuates false and dangerous allegations against the Jewish state.”
The letter praised the Biden administration’s position on Israel’s right to self-defense.
“We vigorously denounce South Africa’s deeply hostile stance towards Israel and thoroughly reject its charge of genocide,” it read. “We urge you to continue to do the same, to offer Israel all appropriate support in opposing the South African application to the ICJ, and to encourage our allies to join us in speaking out against this unfounded attack on Israel, particularly at the United Nations and in other intergovernmental organizations.”
Finally, the letter criticized South Africa’s application for not acknowledging Hamas’s actions on October 7, and for its use of the term ‘genocide’ in relation to Israel.