Bolivia, Jordan, Malaysia, and Turkey join South Africa’s ICJ case against Israel over Gaza genocide

More countries have joined South Africa in a case filed against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the regime’s genocidal war on the besieged Gaza Strip.

The Maldives, Namibia, and Pakistan expressed their support for South Africa’s lawsuit against the Tel Aviv regime during a United Nations General Assembly session on Tuesday.

In a social media post, the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN announced that Islamabad has welcomed South Africa’s initiative to bring Israel’s transgressions under the UN’s Genocide Convention to ICJ.

It also noted that Pakistan looks forward to the advisory opinion of ICJ on the legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the Occupied Territories.

Neville Gertze, permanent representative of Namibia to the UN, also said his country “welcomes and supports” South Africa’s legal action, adding that “Namibia both identifies and aligns with the arguments put forward by South Africa.”

In a statement, the government of Maldives also welcomed the application by South Africa before the ICJ, requesting to declare that Israel is in breach of the 1948 “Convention of the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.”

It went on to say that Maldives considers Israel’s “deliberate acts of aggression” against the innocent Palestinian civilians a blatant disregard for and violation of international humanitarian law, including the Convention on Genocide.

The government of Maldives further reiterates its call for an immediate ceasefire and to open humanitarian corridors for the delivery of assistance to the people of Palestine.

It also called for the Court to expedite its response, in order to facilitate urgent action against all acts and measures that are in breach of the international human rights and international humanitarian law.

South Africa filed the lawsuit against Israel at the end of December, after nearly three months of Israeli aggression against Palestinians in Gaza.

The lawsuit said Israel’s actions are “genocidal in character because they are intended to bring about the destruction of a substantial part of the Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group.”

The application also said Israeli attacks breach the UN’s Genocide Convention, and urged the court to “order Israel to cease killing and causing serious mental and bodily harm to Palestinian people in Gaza.”

Other countries that have already expressed support for the case include Bolivia, Jordan, Malaysia, and Turkey.

The ICJ will hold hearings to consider provisional measures on Thursday and Friday this week.