The Prime Minister's Office responded Tuesday morning to one of the accusations filed by South Africa stating that Israeli officials incite genocide by mentioning the biblical Amalek.
“Among the absurd accusations hurled at Israel in the Hague was the claim that the October 7th massacre was followed by a statement by Prime Minister Netanyahu inciting genocide by quoting the verse, ‘Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you were coming out of Egypt’ (Deuteronomy 25:17). This accusation is laughably false, and displays deep historical ignorance,” the statement read.
“Amalek cruelly attacked the children of Israel as they left Egypt. Throughout the generations, the comparison to Amalek has been used most notably regarding the Nazis. That is why the permanent slideshow at Yad Vashem urges visitors to, 'Remember what Amalek did to you.’ This verse even appeared in the Hague in the memorial for Dutch Jews murdered in the Holocaust.”
“It is obvious that none of these statements constitute incitement to genocide or mass murder of the German people.
"In the same way, the Prime Minister did not intend to incite genocide against the Palestinian people, only to describe the October 7th massacre and the need to fight it.”