LETTER: Inventing the facts

More of the same from Ismail Lagardien in his most recent column, in which absurd accusations become fact by repetition, and conclusions are reached on the basis of the invented facts (“Russell Tribunal was necessary but failed to bring powerful to justice”, April 10).

It is disingenuous to state that “Israelis have explicitly stated”, implying that it is an official position, while cherry-picking quotes and ignoring facts. While it may be true that the Israeli response to a brutal attack from an entity sworn to repeat the exercise may be seen by some as excessive, you only need to open your eyes to see there is no genocide.

Even accepting that up to 20,000 people may have been killed (after excluding the armed enemy), logic tells you that after six months of war that cannot be characterised as a genocide. In the accurately described genocide in Rwanda 800,000 people were killed in three months.

In spite of SA failing to extract even a nod from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), except to say it was plausible that there was a right to be protected (note: not that it was plausible that there was a genocide) commentators such as Lagardien persist with this misrepresentation.

Further to that, the ICJ is in danger of losing credibility when it becomes the plaything of those with an agenda. Now Nicaragua, another funded client state of Iran, has joined the circus, accusing Germany of aiding a genocide the court itself was unable to describe as such.

Sydney Kaye
Cape Town

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