ICJ

That is the point. Israel didn’t try. It rarely does. And that, right now, is the story of Israeli public diplomacy in a single sentence: Israel is not even in the game. The question is why.

“We are now ourselves part of a contentious case before the ICJ and have therefore decided not to make use of this option,” said foreign ministry spokesperson Josef Hinterseher.

The US said in a formal filing that the claim of genocide was “false” and part of a broader campaign “to delegitimize the State of Israel and the Jewish people and to justify or encourage terrorism."

The ICJ had given Israel several extensions over the last year to file the brief, with the most recent extension being until March 12.

The publication of such cases was delayed by fear of abuse by ICJ and ICC. The IDF says the cases are justified under laws of war.

Military officials say the ICJ genocide case worries them more than the ICC, as Israel prepares a major response ahead of a March deadline.

SA foreign affairs ministry accused Israeli diplomat Seidman of "unacceptable violations of diplomatic norms and practice which pose a direct challenge to South Africa's sovereignty."

LEGAL AFFAIRS: While the record is problematic, it should be noted that Israel is far from having abandoned the playing field entirely.

There is a sprawling, well-funded, bureaucratic international ecosystem that has spent years normalizing a singular narrative about the Jewish state. It’s called the United Nations.

South Africa initially brought the accusation against Israel before the court over alleged violations of the Genocide Convention in relation to the war in Gaza in December 2023.