Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) raised eyebrows this week when he called out South Africa for being hypocritical with its International Court of Justice complaint of genocide by Israel.
The South African government argued before the International Court of Justice in The Hague that Israel is waging war against Hamas in Gaza with genocidal intent and that it was clear from how Israel is conducting its military operations. Israel invaded Gaza following Hamas terrorist attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, that claimed the lives of more than 1,200 people.
“They shot their best shot on Oct. 7, and they would have taken more lives if they could have, but they couldn’t do it,” Fetterman said at an event in Washington. “And now we’re talking about genocide, and now South Africa now is now bringing up that kind of a trial. Maybe South Africa maybe ought to sit this one out when it comes to criticizing the behavior of other nations. Sit out!”
In a follow-up comment to the Independent, Fetterman said he was pointing out that “South Africa should instead focus on the spiraling humanitarian crises on its own continent — like Sudan where more than 7 million people have been displaced with widespread atrocities.”
Fetterman has been an outspoken supporter of Israel’s right to defend itself and has resisted calls from the Left and his own party for a ceasefire, so his latest vote of confidence for Israel is no surprise. But what is surprising is his willingness to call out South Africa for hypocrisy.
The junior senator from Pennsylvania is absolutely right in saying that South Africa is ignoring widespread atrocities on the African continent. As he was apt to point out, Sudan is engaged in a civil war that has killed and injured tens of thousands of people and displaced millions more.
The Israeli incursion into Gaza was in response to a barbaric attack by the organization that governs the city. As long as Hamas is in charge of Gaza, it will pose a threat to Israeli citizens.
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Given South Africa’s history of apartheid, the genocide accusation against Israel certainly turned a lot of heads. The country says its history with apartheid is why it is calling out Israel. That may sound nice in newspaper headlines, but it isn’t true. South Africa just wants to take a political jab against Israel on the world stage.
If South Africa actually cared about condemning human rights violations around the world, it would start with its own backyard. Until then, Fetterman is right to tell them to “sit this one out.”