Israeli leaders have genocidal intent to the Palestinians: U.S. scholar

South Africa has provided a substantial body of evidence showing that "Israeli leaders have genocidal intent toward the Palestinians," and its application is a brilliant description of what Israel is doing in Gaza, said U.S. scholar John J. Mearsheime recently.

The professor made the remarks on his online platform, John's Substack, when he refers to the 84-page "application" that South Africa filed on 29 December 2023 with the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Israel of "committing genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza."

The application is "comprehensive, well-written, well-argued, and thoroughly documented," the professor said, noting that its charges are that  Israel's actions "are intended to bring about the destruction of a substantial part of the Palestinian national, racial and ethnic … group in the Gaza Strip", and are apparently consistent with the definition of genocide in the Geneva Convention, to which Israel has long committed itself.

He also blamed the U.S. for supporting Israel's attacks on Gaza and having double standards. 

"The United States is a liberal democracy that is filled with intellectuals, newspaper editors, policymakers, pundits, and scholars who routinely proclaim their deep commitment to protecting human rights around the world. They tend to be highly vocal when countries commit war crimes, especially if the United States or any of its allies are involved," the professor said.

"In the case of Israel's genocide, however, most of the human rights mavens in the liberal mainstream have said little about Israel's savage actions in Gaza or the genocidal rhetoric of its leaders," the professor noted.