Turkey formally submitted its request to join South Africa’s genocide lawsuit against Israel at the International Court of Justice on Wednesday, August 7th.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced that Turkey would do everything in its power to pursue this case.
Hakan Fidan wrote on the social media platform X that “the international community must take necessary actions to stop the genocide and apply necessary pressure on Israel and its supporters.”
A Turkish delegation, including Selcuk Unal, the country’s ambassador to The Hague, and Cuneyt Yuksel, a member of the Justice and Development Party in parliament, submitted Turkey’s request to join the case to the International Court of Justice on Wednesday, August 7.
Previously, countries such as Nicaragua, Colombia, Libya, Mexico, Palestine, and Spain had also joined South Africa’s genocide lawsuit against Israel.
This lawsuit was filed by South Africa at the International Court of Justice in December last year. South Africa claims that Israel has violated its obligations under the United Nations Genocide Convention.
Before submitting this request to the court, Cuneyt Yuksel told reporters that Turkey had been closely monitoring the case since its inception.
He emphasized that Israel had not complied with the previous temporary orders of the International Court of Justice and had acted without regard to the law.
In January, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to refrain from any actions that could fall under the Genocide Convention and to ensure that its forces do not commit genocide against Palestinians.
Israel has repeatedly dismissed the genocide allegations as baseless; however, according to supporters of South Africa’s genocide case, the killing of about 40,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and the extensive destruction of Gaza constitute genocide.
They also refer to statements by senior Israeli government officials, some of whom have defended mass killings and the mass expulsion of Gaza’s residents.
The inclusion of Turkey in South Africa’s genocide lawsuit against Israel at the International Court of Justice adds significant international weight to the allegations.
With multiple countries joining the lawsuit, the international community’s pressure on Israel increases, demanding accountability and adherence to the United Nations Genocide Convention.
This development underscores the ongoing global concern over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the actions of both the Israeli military and Hamas. The court’s decision will be closely watched as it will have profound implications for international law and justice in conflict zones.
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