Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, March 27, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Bassam Masoud
The Government is moving towards formally joining the South African International Court of Justice (ICJ) case against Israel’s war on Gaza.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin will tell Cabinet this morning that he asked his officials to prepare a draft Declaration of Intervention in South Africa’s case against Israel under the 1948 Genocide Convention.
In January, the Dáil passed a motion obliging the Government to strongly consider an intervention in the case as a matter of urgency.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has since carried out a preliminary analysis of the legal issues arising in the case and consulted with the legal adviser of the South African foreign ministry.
When completed, the Tánaiste will submit the draft Declaration of Intervention for consideration by Government and will then arrange to have it filed with the court in The Hague.
The Government has taken a strong stance against Israel since the start of the war in Gaza but has faced calls for further action from the opposition and activist groups.
South Africa instituted proceedings at the ICJ, claiming Israel had violated obligations under the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide during military operations following October 7.
South Africa also asked the court to order provisional measures, including an immediate suspension of military operations in Gaza.
On January 26, the court ordered a number of provisional measures, directing Israel to ensure its military does not commit any genocidal acts and to enable the provision of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance.
The humanitarian situation has since deteriorated with the UN warning that half of the population in Gaza faces imminent famine and 100pc faces acute food insecurity.
Earlier this week, the Tánaiste described Israel’s announcement that it would block all UNRWA aid to the north of Gaza as completely unacceptable.
UNRWA is the only agency with the capacity to make an urgent humanitarian intervention at scale.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar raised concerns over the Israeli bombardment of Gaza with US President Joe Biden during his recent visit to the White House. Mr Biden has been urging Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu to bring about a ceasefire. He also agreed with Mr Varadkar that a two-state solution for the region is the only way to bring an end to the decades-long violence that has plagued Israel and Palestine.
