Chile joins South Africa’s lawsuit against Israel at ICJ

3 weeks ago

RAMALLAH: Chilean President Gabriel Boric announced Saturday that his country will join South Africa in its lawsuit against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Palestine News and Information Agency (WAFA) reported.

During a speech delivered to the Chilean Congress, Boric stated, “Chile has decided to support and join the lawsuit filed by South Africa at the International Court of Justice, under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.”

On December 29, 2023, South Africa filed a lawsuit against Israel, citing its involvement in “acts of genocide” against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, a move that was supported by dozens of countries, marking a historic precedent in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

South Africa submitted to the court a dossier of 84 pages, compiling evidence of Israel killing thousands of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and creating conditions “conducive to inflicting physical destruction” on them, which is considered a crime of “genocide” against them.

On January 26, the International Court of Justice ruled that Israel must take all measures to prevent acts prohibited under the Genocide Convention and to take steps to ensure the immediate provision of urgent humanitarian needs for the Gaza Strip.

On February 13, South Africa made an urgent request to the court to consider Israel’s decision to expand its military offensive to Rafah. It explained that it asked the court to determine whether it needed to use its authority to prevent further violations of the rights of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. - Bernama, WAFA