Lawyers for South Africa said on Thursday that Israeli soldiers interpreted Benjamin Netanyahu’s biblical reference during a speech to troops in November as a reason to kill Palestinians. The claim, which specifically referred to Netanyahu’s invocations of Amalek and footage showing IDF troops chanting “wipe out the seed of Amalek,” has been criticized.
Lawyers for South Africa claimed on Thursday that Israeli soldiers used a bible allusion Benjamin Netanyahu made to troops in November as justification for killing Palestinians. During the first day of public hearings at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, where South Africa formally accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, the claim, which especially called out Netanyahu’s use of Amalek and footage of IDF soldiers chanting “wipe off the seed of Ameliek,” was made.
According to Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, a member of South Africa’s legitimate team,” this refers to the biblical command by God to Saul for the hostile destruction of an entire group of people.”
International outrage was sparked by Netanyahu’s use of Amalek, a neighboring country to Israel, in the Old Testament and his “remember” of it during Jewish troops ‘ invasion of Gaza. In response to Hamas ‘ brutal attack on October 7, the rhetoric was widely interpreted as an open call for Israeli soldiers to kill Palestinians, as my colleague Noah Lanard wrote at the time. Netanyahu said during the broadcast,” You must remember what Amalek has done to you, says our Holy Bible.” ” And we do keep track.”
The text of the Bible in Netanyahu’s speech from Noah:
In the first Book of Samuel, God commands King Saul to execute every citizen of Amalek, a foe country to historical Israel, as others hastily noted. The prophet Samuel informs Saul that” this is what the Lord Almighty says.” When the Amalekites waylaid Israel as they were ascending from Egypt, I will punish them for what they did to them. Go ahead and attack the Amalekites, destroying everything that is theirs. Set men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys to death; do not spare them.
Israel has reportedly killed at least 23, 200 people in Gaza since October 7, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health. Although he reiterated the US’s support for Israel as the nation fights to ensure that another October 7 “never happens again,” US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken referred to the human death toll as “far to high” on Tuesday. South American officials are urging United Nations officials to act and end Israel’s military presence in Gaza in the meantime in The Hague.
On Friday, Israel will have the opportunity to respond to South Africa’s accusations. Lawyers for South Africa claimed on Thursday that Israeli soldiers used a bible allusion Benjamin Netanyahu made to troops in November as justification for killing Palestinians. The assertion, which particularly criticized Netanyahu’s use of Amalek and video of IDF soldiers chanting “wipe off the seed of Ameerk,” was made.
Lawyers for South Africa said on Thursday that Israeli soldiers interpreted Benjamin Netanyahu’s biblical reference during a speech to troops in November as a reason to kill Palestinians. The claim, which specifically referred to Netanyahu’s invocations of Amalek and footage showing IDF troops chanting “wipe out the seed of Amalek,” has been criticized.
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/01/south-africa-israel-amalek-netanyahu/
