The Palestinians plan to join South Africa’s genocide case against Israel that is currently pending at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry in Ramallah has filed a request to join the case, the court in The Hague announced Monday evening.
The ministry requested this on behalf of Palestine, which is not yet recognized as a state by the United Nations; instead, it has observer status at the UN.
It is unclear when the court will rule on the Palestinian application. If the country were to approve it, the Palestinian authorities would be allowed to actively participate in the procedure. Other countries have also signaled their intention to join the South African lawsuit. These include Colombia, Libya and Nicaragua.
South Africa filed a complaint against Israel at the United Nations Supreme Court in late 2023, accusing the state of violating the Genocide Convention over its attacks on the Gaza Strip. In three rulings so far, the court has ordered Israel to take immediate measures to protect civilians.
However, this does not affect the main proceedings on the accusation of genocide. It can drag on for years.
Israel has strictly rejected the accusations and invoked its right to self-defense following the terrorist attack by Palestinian militant group Hamas and other groups on October 7. About 1,200 people were killed in the attack.
According to Palestinian authorities, more than 36,000 people have been killed by Israeli attacks since then.
