Turkey officially joins South Africa’s genocide case at ICJ

Istanbul (Quds News Network)- Turkey officially submitted on Wednesday a declaration of intervention in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague.

“Emboldened by the impunity it has received for its crimes, Israel is killing more and more innocent Palestinians every day,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan posted on X.

“The international community must do its part to stop the genocide and put the necessary pressure on Israel and its supporters. Türkiye will make every effort on this path.”

Fidan made the first announcement on Monday while addressing a news conference in Cairo.

He said Palestinians have had a constructive attitude during the negotiation process, while Israel has been the “spoiler”, adding that last week, Israel conducted a “treacherous assassination” of the chief negotiator in talks for a ceasefire in Gaza, referring to Palestinian group Hamas’ Political Bureau chief, Ismail Haniyeh.

In May, Turkey announced that it had decided to join the case launched by South Africa as it stepped up measures against Israel over its genocide war on Gaza, and that it would submit a bid after the necessary legal preparations.

The ICJ has ordered Israel to refrain from any acts that could fall under the United Nations Genocide Convention and to ensure its troops commit no genocidal acts against Palestinians after South Africa accused Israel of state-led genocide in Gaza.

South Africa brought its case against Israel in December, accusing it of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. The case argues that Israel violated the 1948 Genocide Convention, which was established in the aftermath of the Holocaust and requires countries to prevent the recurrence of such crimes.

So far, 13 countries have joined or declared their intention to join South Africa’s genocide case against Israel. The ICJ may allow states to intervene in cases and give their views.

However, Turkish officials claim Ankara’s application is the most comprehensive and well-founded to this date.

One distinctive feature of the Turkish application is its alignment with the ICJ’s recent advisory on the legal consequences of Israel’s policies and practices in the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip, which Turkey believes strengthens its legal arguments.