A diplomatic cable sent from Israel’s foreign ministry to Tel Aviv’s embassy in Washington and its consulates in the US reveals these instructions.
The cable, obtained and first reported by Axios, calls on Israeli diplomats to ask US lawmakers to issue statements saying South Africa’s ICJ case could lead to a suspension of US-South Africa trade, an unlikely possibility.
“We are asking you to immediately work with lawmakers on the federal and state level, with governors and Jewish organizations to put pressure on South Africa to change its policy towards Israel and to make clear that continuing their current actions like supporting Hamas and pushing anti-Israeli moves in international courts will come with a heavy price,” read a cable from Israel’s foreign ministry to its embassy and all consulates in the US.
The Israeli diplomats were also instructed to reach out to South African diplomats in the US and tell them their country will “pay a heavy price” if it doesn’t change its policy towards Israel.
On 29 December 2023, South Africa embroiled itself in a major legal battle with Israel when it filed its petition at the ICJ.
The filing came nearly three months after Israel launched its war on Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on 7 October, which killed around 1,200 people.
Israel has since killed at least 41,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the official toll by the Palestinian health ministry. One estimate, however, published by the Lancet medical journal, estimates the death toll could be 186,000 Palestinians.
The ICJ submission called on the court to investigate whether Israel was committing genocide against the Palestinians after it launched its offensive on Gaza, where Israeli forces have targeted schools, residential neighbourhoods, hospitals, mosques and UN shelters.
The application says Israel’s actions are “genocidal in character because they are intended to bring about the destruction of a substantial part of the Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group”.
Israel rejected the filing, calling it a “blood libel” – a reference to antisemitic lies originating in the Middle Ages, in which Jews were claimed to have murdered Christian boys to use their blood for religious rituals.
Since its filing, several countries including Turkey and Mexico have joined in South Africa’s case against Israel. The case has sparked other legal interventions as well, including Nicaragua taking Germany to the ICJ over accusations that it has “contributed to the commission of genocide” in Gaza.
The ICJ has not made a decision on the accusations of genocide, but previously issued a partial order calling on Israel to prevent any acts of genocide in Gaza and to stop an invasion of Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city.
The court is expected to begin discussions about the accusations of genocide in the coming months. It has set 28 October as the deadline for South Africa to submit its written arguments and 28 July 2025 for Israel to do the same.
According to Axios, the Israeli diplomats were also told to push for legislation against South Africa at the state and federal levels in the US, with the foreign ministry stating that “even if they won’t materialize, presenting them and talking about them will be important” in influencing the African nation’s policy.
The cable also asked diplomats to push for hearings about South Africa’s policy towards Israel in US state legislatures.
