Netanyahu invokes ancient scripture to justify pre-emptive strikes, drawing genocide accusations

At a prominent Jewish conference in West Jerusalem, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invoked a Hebrew phrase meaning “if someone comes to kill you, rise and kill him first,” presenting Israel’s security policy as one of pre-emptive action reminiscent of the 1967 war. He avoided labeling the conflict as a holy war, yet his language was highlighted by South African lawyer Tembeka Ngcukaitobi during International Court of Justice hearings, who linked Netanyahu’s command to “remember what Amalek has done” with biblical calls for total destruction, arguing it demonstrates genocidal intent in Gaza, where over 73,400 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023.

Former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant described Palestinians as “human animals,” and Rabbi Avraham Zarbiv publicly boasted about demolishing homes, prompting a war-crimes filing at the International Criminal Court. The Arab Organisation for Human Rights UK has petitioned the United Kingdom to impose targeted sanctions on Netanyahu, while Israeli rights group B’Tselem condemned the state’s endorsement of such rhetoric. Scholars note that biblical imagery reshapes a geopolitical struggle into a moral drama, reinforcing settlement expansion and harsh measures in the occupied West Bank.