Ireland will officially intervene in the case initiated by South Africa against Israel under the Genocide Convention at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The high profile case made headlines all over the world earlier this year, marking one of the most significant moments in the Israel-Palestine conflict to date.
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin confirmed the news today, just days after the UN Security Council voted in favour of a ceasefire in the region and two months after an interim ruling by the ICJ ordered Israel to prevent acts of genocide against the Palestinian people.
Mr Martin today said in the Dáil: “It is for the Court to determine whether genocide is being committed. But I want to be clear in reiterating what I have said many times in the last few months; what we saw on 7 October in Israel, and what we are seeing in Gaza now, represents the blatant violation of international humanitarian law on a mass scale.
Minister Micheal Martin met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, West Bank in September (Image: Palestinian Presidency via Getty)
“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.
“The list goes on. It has to stop. The view of the international community is clear. Enough is enough. The UN Security Council has demanded an immediate ceasefire, the unconditional release of hostages and the lifting of all barriers to the provision of humanitarian assistance at scale. The European Council has echoed this call.
“The situation could not be more stark; half the population of Gaza face imminent famine and 100% of the population face acute food insecurity. As the UN Secretary General said as he inspected long lines of blocked relief trucks waiting to enter Gaza during his visit to Rafah at the weekend; ‘it is time to truly flood Gaza with life-saving aid. The choice is clear: surge or starvation’. I echo his words today.”
Opposition parties, including Sinn Féin, Labour, Social Democrats and People Before Profit have previously called on the Fianna Fáil leader to officially intervene in the case, which accuses Israel of genocide in the Gaza strip.
The latest figures from Gaza’s health authorities say over 30,000 people have been killed since October 7, with a further 70,000 being injured. Officials from the World Health Organisation (WHO) have confirmed that children have began to die of starvation in the region, while authorities are conducting a review on whether a famine should be declared.
Ireland previously intervened at the ICJ in a case taken by Ukraine against Russia.
Source:
Joe Costigan
