Ireland announced its intention to intervene in South Africa’s genocide case against Israel, marking Dublin’s strongest stance yet on Israeli operations in Gaza since October 7.
Foreign Minister Micheal Martin emphasised that while the determination of genocide falls under the jurisdiction of the World Court, he underscored concerns about Hamas’ October 7 attack and ongoing events in Gaza as clear violations of international humanitarian law on a large scale.
“The taking of hostages. The purposeful withholding of humanitarian assistance to civilians. The targeting of civilians and of civilian infrastructure. The indiscriminate use of explosive weapons in populated areas. The use of civilian objects for military purposes. The collective punishment of an entire population,” Martin said in a statement.
“The list goes on. It has to stop. The view of the international community is clear. Enough is enough.”
After South Africa accused Israel of state-led genocide in Gaza, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), also known as the World Court, issued an order in January directing Israel to desist from any actions that might be considered violations of the Genocide Convention and to guarantee that its troops do not commit any genocidal acts against Palestinians.
The claim was deemed unfounded by Israel and its Western supporters. It may take years for the International Court of Justice to rule in South Africa’s case.
Martin stated that the action was taken after legal and policy research and consultation with multiple partners, including South Africa. However, he did not specify the nature of the intervention or detail any arguments Ireland intends to make.
According to Martin’s department, third-party interventions like this don’t take a position in the conflict; rather, they give Ireland a chance to clarify how it interprets any number of the Genocide Convention’s clauses that are at question in the case.
Israeli figures show that 1,200 people were killed and over 250 were captured in the Hamas-led assault. The Gaza health officials, under Hamas control, report that since then, over 32,000 people have died as a result of Israel’s attack on Gaza.
The initiative, Israel informed the countries, was a “prize for terrorism” that would lessen the likelihood of a peaceful settlement to the neighbouring conflicts.
Israel informed the nations that their proposal amounted to a “prize for terrorism” and would lessen the likelihood that the neighbouring conflicts would be resolved through negotiation.
