ISTANBUL: According to the foreign ministry, Turkiye officially requested on Wednesday to join South Africa’s genocide complaint against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, regarding Israel’s actions during the Gaza War.
In May, Turkiye declared that it would take the required legal steps and join the case, formally known as presenting a statement of official intervention.
Hakan Fidan, the foreign minister of Turkey, announced on Wednesday that the formal request had been made.
In a post on X, Fidan stated, “The international community must do its part to stop the genocide and exert the necessary pressure on Israel and its supporters.”
He went on, “Turkiye will try his hardest to do that.” The ultimate determination of the case’s admittance will be made by the court.
In December, South Africa filed a lawsuit against Israel, charging it with orchestrating a genocide in Gaza.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled in January that Israel must protect Palestinians against genocide perpetrated by its troops and abstain from any actions that would violate the Genocide Convention.
Defending in court that its actions in Gaza constitute self-defense and targeting Hamas fighters who assaulted Israel on October 7 of last year, killing 1,200 Israelis and foreigners, Israel has repeatedly rejected the case’s allegations of genocide as unfounded. Over 39,600 Palestinians have lost their lives in Gaza during the ensuing ten months of fighting, hundreds of thousands have been displaced, and the majority of the enclave has been destroyed as a humanitarian crisis has arisen.
In January, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan announced that Turkiye was sending documentation for the case at the International Court of Justice, or World Court. Spain said in June that it had requested to take up the matter before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the highest court in the UN.
