https://arab.news/z3xzj
- Sir Ephraim Mirvis claims allegations aimed to 鈥榯ear open the still gaping wound of the Holocaust鈥�
- Israel has rejected case brought to ICJ by South Africa over alleged genocide in Gaza
LONDON: The UK鈥檚 chief rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, has claimed describing Israel鈥檚 military action in Gaza as 鈥済enocide鈥� is a 鈥渕oral inversion, which undermines the memory of the worst crimes in human history.鈥�
Sir Ephraim added it was an 鈥渋ncreasingly frequent, disingenuous misappropriation of the term鈥� done to 鈥渢ear open the still gaping wound of the Holocaust.鈥�
The chief rabbi鈥檚 intervention in the Sunday Telegraph ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day on Jan. 27 comes after South Africa brought a case against Israel at the UN International Court of Justice in The Hague accusing it of committing genocide.
The case says Israel committed 鈥済rave violence and genocidal acts鈥� after launching its offensive in Gaza following the attack on Israel by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.
Israel has dismissed the accusations, saying South Africa鈥檚 鈥減rofoundly distorted鈥� claims are 鈥渂arely distinguishable鈥� from those of Hamas.
Sir Ephraim, who was born in South Africa, said claiming Israel鈥檚 activity in Gaza is genocide was an affront not only to victims of the Holocaust, but also to those of genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.
He added that the war 鈥渨ould end tomorrow if Hamas released Israel鈥檚 hostages and laid down its weapons,鈥� which should 鈥減reclude any allegation of genocide,鈥� but conceded that 鈥渘o decent person could be unmoved by the tragic suffering of innocent Palestinians.鈥�
Since the start of hostilities, Gaza鈥檚 authorities say 25,000 people have been killed in the enclave, or around 1 percent of the population. Tens of thousands of buildings, including numerous schools and medical facilities, have been destroyed.
Human Rights Watch has accused Israel of starving civilians by restricting humanitarian aid access, while Amnesty International has highlighted Israeli airstrikes on a Greek Orthodox church and a refugee camp as examples of war crimes.
Elsewhere, Scotland鈥檚 First Minister Humza Yousaf said on Sunday that lack of support for the people of Gaza from the international community showed many politicians view Palestinian lives as 鈥渃heap.鈥�
Yousaf鈥檚 mother-in-law and father-in-law were trapped in the Gaza Strip at the start of Israel鈥檚 onslaught.