Ireland to intervene in South Africa v. Israel genocide case in Gaza

(Patria) - Ireland announced on Wednesday that it will intervene in the genocide case brought by South Africa against Israel, marking Dublin's strongest signal of concern to date over Israeli operations in Gaza since October 7th.

Announcing the move, Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said that while it is up to the World Court to decide if genocide has been committed, he wanted to make it clear that Hamas's attack on October 7th and what is happening in Gaza now "constitutes an egregious breach of international humanitarian law on a massive scale," Reuters reported.

"Taking hostages. Deliberately denying humanitarian aid to civilians. Targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure. Indiscriminate use of explosive weapons in populated areas. Use of civilian objects for military purposes. Collective punishment of an entire population," he stated.

"The list goes on. It has to stop. The stance of the international community is clear. Enough is enough."

In January, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), also known as the World Court, ordered Israel to refrain from any acts that could fall under the Genocide Convention and to ensure its troops do not commit acts of genocide against Palestinians, after South Africa accused Israel of genocide in Gaza.

Israel and its Western allies have described the accusations as unfounded. A final ruling in the case brought by South Africa at the International Court of Justice in The Hague could take years.

Martin did not say in what form the intervention would be or outline any arguments Ireland plans to use, but added that the step was decided after legal and political analysis and consultations with several partners, including South Africa.

Martin's department stated that such third-party interventions do not take a specific side in the dispute, but that the intervention would be an opportunity for Ireland to present its interpretation of one or more provisions of the Genocide Convention at issue in the case.

Hamas-led attacks killed 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages. Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed more than 32,000 people, mostly civilians, children, and women.

A long-time supporter of Palestinian rights, Ireland last week joined Spain, Malta, and Slovenia in taking steps towards recognizing the statehood declared by Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Israel told the countries that their plan represents a "reward for terrorism" that would reduce the chances of a negotiated solution to the conflict between the neighbours.