According to The New Arab, Ireland declared on Wednesday its intention to intervene in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel, marking Dublin’s strongest expression of concern regarding Israeli actions in Gaza since October 7th.
Foreign Minister Micheal Martin, in making the announcement, stated that while the determination of whether genocide is occurring falls within the jurisdiction of the World Court, he wished to emphasise that the attack by Hamas on October 7th and the ongoing situation in Gaza constitute “a clear violation of international humanitarian law on a significant scale.”
Martin stated in a released statement, “This includes the taking of hostages, deliberate obstruction of humanitarian aid to civilians, targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure, indiscriminate use of explosive weapons in populated areas, utilisation of civilian objects for military purposes, and the collective punishment of an entire population.”
He continued, “This must cease. The international community’s stance is unequivocal. Enough is enough.”
In January, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), commonly known as the World Court, instructed Israel to refrain from actions that could be considered under the Genocide Convention and to ensure that its forces do not engage in genocidal acts against Palestinians, following South Africa’s accusation of Israeli state-sponsored genocide in Gaza.
Israel and its Western allies dismissed the accusation as unfounded. A final verdict in South Africa’s ICJ case in The Hague may take years to reach.
Martin did not specify the nature of Ireland’s intervention or detail any arguments or proposals that Ireland intends to present.
According to Martin’s department, such third-party interventions do not take a specific stance in the dispute. However, they provide Ireland with an opportunity to present its interpretation of one or more provisions of the Genocide Convention relevant to the case.
The assault by Hamas resulted in 1,200 fatalities and over 250 individuals being held hostage, according to Israeli reports. Subsequently, Israel’s offensive in Gaza has led to more than 32,000 deaths, according to Gaza health authorities.
Ireland, long a supporter of Palestinian rights, recently joined Spain, Malta, and Slovenia in initiating steps towards recognising statehood declared by Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Israel cautioned these countries that their actions amounted to “rewarding terrorism,” potentially hindering prospects for a negotiated resolution to the conflict between the two nations.
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