“Those are allegations that should not be made lightly, we are not seeing any acts that constitute genocide,” Miller said at a regular news briefing. “That is a determination by the State Department,” he added.
He had been asked about South Africa’s request on Tuesday that the World Court issue an urgent order declaring that Israel was in breach of its obligations under the 1948 Genocide Convention.
The court has scheduled public hearings for Jan. 11 and 12 on South Africa’s request. Israel said it would defend itself from the charges. Israel’s crackdown has killed more than 22,000 Palestinians, laid waste to much of the enclave and engulfed its 2.3 million residents in a humanitarian disaster.