2024-03-29 10:58:08
Ireland plans to “intervene” in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, according to the Irish government.
The newspaper said,The New York Times“This step by the Republic of Ireland comes at a time when the country has strongly condemned Israeli measures against civilians in Gaza.
Micheal Martin, the Republic of Ireland’s foreign minister and deputy leader, said Wednesday that officials were working on a “declaration of intervention” in the case, which, if approved by the Irish government, would be taken to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
Ireland did not specify the argument it intends to present, but the country’s lawmakers have made repeated calls to prioritize the protection of civilians in Gaza, according to the same newspaper.
“It is up to the court to determine whether there was genocide,” Martin said, adding: “But I want to be clear in repeating what I have said many times in the past few months: What we saw on October 7 in Israel, and what we are seeing in Gaza now, “They represent a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law on a massive scale.”
The minister urged Israel to call for a ceasefire, then mentioned a number of pressing issues, including the “deliberate withholding of humanitarian aid to civilians,” the “targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure,” and “collective punishment of an entire people.”
He added: “The list goes on. It (the war) must stop. The international community’s point of view is clear. Enough is enough.”
On Thursday, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to “ensure the provision of urgent humanitarian aid” to the Gaza Strip, where famine has become a “reality” in light of the devastating raids, bombardment, and battles between the Israeli army and Hamas militants, leaving dozens dead daily, while the army besieges 3 hospitals.
The war broke out following an unprecedented attack carried out by the Hamas movement on October 7, which left 1,160 people dead, most of them civilians, including women and children, according to figures reported by Agence France-Presse from the Israeli authorities.
About 250 people were also kidnapped at that time, 130 of whom are still hostage in Gaza, and 33 of them are believed to have died, according to the same agency.
The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip announced that the death toll had risen to more than 32 thousand dead, most of whom were children and women.
South Africa is a fierce defender of the Palestinian cause, and in recent months the country has submitted several petitions to the International Court of Justice, the highest judicial body of the United Nations, accusing Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza.
Israel denies these allegations, while the administration of US President Joe Biden described the genocide case brought by South Africa as “futile.”
In early March, Pretoria asked the International Court of Justice to impose “temporary measures” to put an end to the “large-scale famine” occurring as a result of Israel’s military attack in Gaza.
The United Nations allows states to “intervene” in proceedings if they are parties to the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention of Genocide.
Irish lawmakers were among the first in Europe to call for the protection of people in Gaza last year, reflecting long-standing Irish support for the Palestinians, partly due to a shared history of British colonialism, according to the New York Times.
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