It is Turkey’s ambassador to the Netherlands who has submitted a declaration of intervention at the UN court in The Hague, writes the Anadolu news agency on Wednesday.
NATO member Turkey is among the strongest critics of Israel’s conduct in the Gaza Strip.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Israel of genocide against Palestinians and called for the country to be punished in international courts. He has also criticized Western countries’ support for Israel.
Israel has stubbornly rejected the genocide accusations.
– Extremely important matter
– No country in the world can rise above international law. The case in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is extremely important when it comes to ensuring that the crimes committed by Israel do not go unpunished, says Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oncu Keceli on X.
In May, Turkey froze trade with Israel because of the attacks in Gaza. Unlike Western countries that consider Hamas a terrorist organization, Erdogan has described the Palestinian group as a liberation movement.
South Africa brought the case before the UN’s highest legal body, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), last year with accusations that Israel, with its warfare in the Gaza Strip, is violating the Genocide Convention.
More countries
Nicaragua, Colombia, Libya, Mexico, Spain and the Palestinian Authority have already asked to join the case in the ICJ. The Court has not yet made a decision on the petitions.
Israel defends itself by saying that the war in Gaza is a legitimate act of defense against Hamas as a result of the attack on October 7 in which almost 1,200 people were killed and 250 captured.
If Turkey and the other countries join South Africa’s case, they will have the opportunity to submit written submissions to the ICJ, as well as speak in the open court hearings.
More ICJ orders
Preliminary court hearings were held earlier this year, but it is expected to take several years before the ICJ makes a final ruling in the genocide case.
In the meantime, Keceli asks that the orders that the court has already made be complied with immediately. They include demands for a halt in the military offensive and increased emergency aid to Gaza.
Former allies Turkey and Israel have had a turbulent relationship since Erdogan came to power in 2003. The war in Gaza put an end to the most recent attempt to normalize ties.
#Turkey #asks #join #genocide #case #Israel #ICJ
2024-08-10 12:53:57
