so i don't think it was 'genocide or nothing' but the desire to make the most air-tight jurisdictional case may have been the rationale. the ruling itself surprised me. my take on it (as a political scientist not a lawyer) is here, feedback welcome! www.worldpoliticsreview.com/icj-israel-g...

as i understand it, acceptance of compulsory jurisdiction is only one of the avenues through which a state can be subject to jurisdiction by the ICJ. www.icj-cij.org/basis-of-jur...

Israel and South Africa are also both parties to the Fourth Geneva convention, which prohibits forced displacement, collective punishment, and blocking humanitarian access to civilians.

Israel and South Africa are both parties to the Convention Against All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which prohibits apartheid in Article 3 and allows for ICJ jurisdiction in Article 22.