The United States will defend its ally Israel against accusations at the top United Nations court that it breached the Genocide Convention during its Gaza campaign, the court said yesterday.

Washington filed a so-called “declaration of intervention” at the International Court of Justice, which is examining the genocide case against Israel brought by South Africa.

“The United States affirms, in the strongest terms possible, that the allegations of ‘genocide’ against Israel are false,” said Washington in its filing.

The US said South Africa’s case was the latest in a series “to level false charges of ‘genocide’ against Israel” that it said had been going on for decades.

Such charges serve to “delegitimise the State of Israel and the Jewish people and to justify or encourage terrorism against them”, Washington said.

South Africa brought its case before the ICJ in December 2023, arguing the Gaza war breached the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention, an accusation Israel has strongly denied.