Palestinian authorities on May 31 applied to be a party to South Africa’s genocide case against Israel, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) said on Monday.
PRESS RELEASE: on 31 May 2024, #Palestine filed an application for permission to intervene and a declaration of intervention in the case #SouthAfrica v. #Israel, invoking Articles 62 and 63 of the #ICJ Statute https://t.co/bCfbDGElIC pic.twitter.com/3x9dKKnfWB
— CIJ_ICJ (@CIJ_ICJ) June 3, 2024
Palestine’s request to the UN top court alleges that Israel’s ongoing military operation is “part of a systematic effort to wipe Palestinian society and its culture and social institutions from the map.”
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“The Israeli onslaught has obliterated and damaged, beyond recognition, Gaza’s hospitals, mosques, churches, universities, schools, homes, shops, and infrastructure. Indeed, the legal interests of the State of Palestine are very directly concerned by the case submitted by South Africa and may be affected by the decision in the case,” the filing said.
Since South Africa filed genocide charges against Israel on December 29, 2023, at least nine countries (mostly developing nations) have either formally approached the ICJ or declared their intention to do so, including Nicaragua, Colombia, Libya, Turkey, and Mexico.
On Saturday, Chile’s President Gabriel Boric also announced intentions to join South Africa’s lawsuit against Israel at the ICJ.
In January the World Court issued provisional orders asking Israel to ensure its forces do not commit any of the acts prohibited by the Genocide Convention.
Most recently, it issued a third round of orders asking Israel to “immediately halt” its military offensive into Rafah, the southern Gaza city where more than 1 million Palestinians had been sheltering.
Read Also: Israel Must Halt Military Offensive in Rafah, UN’s Top Court Rules
However, reports have shown that Israel’s bombardment continues in Gaza, including Rafah, despite the ICJ ruling.
“Israeli troops also took over the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, further slowing sporadic deliveries of aid for Gaza’s 2.3 million people. Earlier this week, the UN refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) announced it would suspend food distribution in Rafah, citing a lack of supplies and the lack of security in the densely populated city,” Aljazeera reported.
Since the war began at least 36000 Palestinians have been killed according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
