The Hague [Netherlands], September 21 : Brazil has formally joined the case initiated by South Africa at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which accuses Israel of committing "genocide" in the Gaza Strip, Al Jazeera reported.
In a statement on Friday, the World Court confirmed that Brazil invoked Article 63 of the ICJ statute and submitted a declaration of intervention in the proceedings. The provision allows any UN member state to step into a case when the interpretation of a treaty it has signed is being contested. According to Al Jazeera, Brazil used this clause to affirm that Israel is violating the 1948 Genocide Convention.
The ICJ said that South Africa and Israel are now invited to "furnish written observations on the declaration of intervention."
Brazil had signalled its intentions in July, with its Ministry of Foreign Affairs citing "impunity" that undermined international law and denouncing Israeli actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, Al Jazeera noted.
Brazil now joins Spain, Ireland, Mexico, Turkiye and others who have aligned with South Africa in the case against Israel, where more than 65,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed since October 2023, according to Al Jazeera.
Although a final ruling by the ICJ could take years, the court issued an interim order in January 2024 requiring Israel to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza and to ensure unimpeded humanitarian access.
The court also determined that Israel's presence in Palestinian territory is unlawful and that its settlement policies amount to annexation. Despite those rulings, Israel has continued to destroy large parts of Gaza and the West Bank, while accelerating plans to consolidate control over Palestinian lands.
Meanwhile, the United States and Israel's European allies continue providing military and financial support, even as international institutions increasingly acknowledge that genocide is being carried out in Gaza.
Washington has rejected the ICJ case outright, and US legislators have threatened and criticised South Africa. The US has also issued unprecedented sanctions of members of the International Criminal Court (ICC), who have issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, as per Al Jazeera.
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