The South African Foreign Ministry reportedly expects other countries to follow suit soon and express support for its case at the World Court.
Turkey’s President Recept Erdogan with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Ankara in 2022. (Haim Zach, Government Press Office of Israel, CC BY-SA 3.0)
By Julia Conley
Common Dreams
South Africa is no longer alone in bringing its claim of genocide by the Israeli government to the International Court of Justice. The Turkish Foreign Ministry and the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs have announced that they support the case.
Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oncu Keceli said Wednesday those responsible for killing tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza since Oct. 7 “must be held accountable before international law.”
“Israel’s murder of more than 22,000 Palestinian civilians, the majority of whom were women and children, in Gaza for nearly three months should not go unpunished in any way,” Keceli said. “We hope that the process will be completed as soon as possible.”
The ICJ is scheduled to hear the case next week, Jan. 11-12. Israeli representatives are expected to appear at the hearing.
A massive march in Turkey for #Gaza ???? pic.twitter.com/NtQpJ1xILP
— PALESTINE ONLINE ?? (@OnlinePalEng) January 1, 2024
International rights groups issued a call Wednesday for other countries to file Declarations of Intervention at the court, whose authority Israel recognizes, to bolster South Africa’s case.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said it expects “that within the framework of this application, the ICJ will decide on provisional measures involving those to stop Israel’s attacks on Gaza.”
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim addressing U.N. General Assembly in September 2023. (UN Photo/Cia Pak)
The Malaysia Ministry of Foreign Affairs said late Tuesday that it “welcomes the application by South Africa instituting proceedings against Israel… concerning the violations by Israel of its obligations under the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in relation to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.”
A spokesperson for the South African Foreign Ministry told The Jerusalem Post that it expects other countries to soon follow Turkey and Malaysia’s lead and back its case.
In its 84-page complaint, South Africa detailed the genocidal intent that’s been displayed in numerous public statements by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Herzog, and other top officials, as well as Israel’s bombardment of civilian targets and forced displacement of civilians.
On Friday, Jordan also joined the case against Israel.
Jordan's minister of Foreign Affairs, Ayman Safadi, announces that his country backs South Africa's genocide case against Israel in the ICJ. He added that the Jordanian government is working on a legal file to follow up on the case.
Turkey, Malaysia, and the Organization of… pic.twitter.com/H5G0e7IfHK
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) January 5, 2024
Julia Conley is a staff writer for Common Dreams.
This article is from Common Dreams.
Views expressed in this article and may or may not reflect those of Consortium News.
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The idea that Turkey is castigating any other country about genocide is RICH.
NOTHING!!! is forever. And so to the Zionist power to smear everyone in order to silence us.
While the moves of South Africa, Turkey and Malaysia is laudable and must be welcomed, these are nothing but microcosms of global human societies in general. In terms of power configuration they are the weaker in the equation : the mighty Western powers would just ignore the diplomatic theaterics of these weak nations; might may yet again triumph but without being right !
Free Palestine!
If Europeans do not want to become another Ukraine they should join South Africa as fast as possible. Surely not only do the Turkish people have a spine, but I hope Mr. Orban joins as soon as possible.
It is all talk with no action, but business is doing well especially between Turkey and genocidal Israel, a united military invasion of all Islamic countries would be necessary to force international justice on Zionist crime, very unlikely to happen if history is anything to go by..time will tell an which way, money does the walk, always has, always will..
I would definitely love to see The Vatican, Cambodia, Rwanda, Ireland, Portugal and Armenia join this suit. Hopefully they will, along with the rest of the world. Thank you, South Africa!
Thank you South Africa, Turkey and Malaysia for standing up for humanity against the brutal ethnic cleansing genocide.
The utter hypocrisy of the US and its tributary vassal states stand exposed.
Which countries will stand on the right side of history?
2024 is said to be a record year for elections around the world. Let this be the ultimate international vote.