Turkey to submit bid to join South Africa ICJ genocide case against Israel

Foreign minister says Turkey will formally submit its declaration of intervention on Wednesday at The Hague.

Turkey says it will formally submit its declaration of intervention in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel over the war on Gaza at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan made the announcement on Monday while addressing a news conference in Cairo.

He said the submission before the United Nations court is expected on Wednesday.

Turkey had announced in May that it had decided to join the case launched by South Africa as it stepped up measures against Israel over its assault on Gaza, and that it would submit a bid after the necessary legal preparations.

The ICJ has ordered Israel to refrain from any acts that could fall under the United Nations Genocide Convention and to ensure its troops commit no genocidal acts against Palestinians after South Africa accused Israel of state-led genocide in Gaza.

South Africa brought its case against Israel in December, accusing it of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. The death toll from Israel’s war, which began in October, has reached nearly 40,000, according to health officials in the besieged and bombarded territory.

South Africa’s case before the ICJ argues that Israel violated the 1948 Genocide Convention, which was established in the aftermath of the Holocaust and requires countries to prevent the recurrence of such crimes.

Israel and its Western allies have described South Africa’s allegations as baseless. A final ruling in the case could take years.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in January that his country was providing documents for the case at the top UN court, also known as the World Court.

So far, 13 countries have joined or declared their intention to join South Africa’s genocide case against Israel. The ICJ may allow states to intervene in cases and give their views.