PRESS RELEASE: ‘One-sided, Unfortunate, Helps Hamas’ – American Jewish Congress Criticizes ICJ For Targeting Israel And Ignoring Hamas Role

May 24, 2024, New York, NY – The International Court of Justice (ICJ) verdict ordering Israel to immediately halt military action in Rafah is one-sided, unfortunate, will embolden terror groups across the Middle East, and will do little to address the core reason for the tragic situation in Gaza and Israel, which is the war that Hamas imposed on everyone on October 7 in violation of an existing cease-fire agreement.
 
What is more devastating is that this unfortunate verdict by the ICJ comes as more bodies of Israeli hostages turn up from inside civilian houses and neighborhoods of northern Gaza that Hamas terror organization continues to use to wage war without regard for Palestinian lives and properties. 
 
This is a biased verdict that fails to acknowledge Israel’s enormous efforts to shield Gaza’s civilians from Hamas’ war and ignores Israel’s duty and right to undertake operations to neutralize a terror group hiding among civilians.
 
As it stands, the ICJ verdict gives deadly terror groups across the Middle East a simple lesson: Use civilians in a war against Israel and you have a good chance to walk free, and you won’t be asked about your excesses.  
 
The ICJ could have recognized Israeli efforts to save civilian lives and Israel’s right to find its abducted citizens and destroy a terror organization. Israel deserves to be lauded for helping almost one million civilians move out of Rafah. This figure was updated this week and the ICJ could have acknowledged it, in addition to the Israeli role in the surge in humanitarian aid into Gaza.
 
Israel is dealing with an unprecedented antiterrorism challenge and its military has gone out of its way to avoid civilian casualties and already is in the process of surging aid to Gazans. International institutions will do well to devote equal energies to stopping Gaza-based terror groups from stealing foreign aid and using civilian population centers and buildings for terrorism, warfare, and to hide Israeli hostages to prolong the war.