Ireland joins the genocide case against Israel before the International Court of Justice

cnn —

Ireland has joined South Africa’s genocide case against Israelthe International Court of Justice announced Tuesday morning.

in a short press releaseThe ICJ said Ireland had on Monday joined Nicaragua, Colombia, Mexico, Libya, Bolivia, Turkey, the Maldives, Chile, Spain and the State of Palestine in requesting to intervene in the case.

South Africa He presented his case for the first time against Israel in December 2023, accusing the country of committing genocide during its ongoing offensive in the Gaza Strip. Israel has vehemently denied involvement in genocide and continues to fight South Africa in court.

Ireland intervention statement It does not present further accusations against Israel, but rather focuses on the legal framework of its involvement in the South Africa case. Noting that the legal definition of genocide requires an “intention to destroy, in whole or in part” a target population, Ireland’s submission argues that intent could be inferred “in any case where a reasonable person would have foreseen that” the Genocide is “the natural and probable consequence of the perpetrator’s acts.”

“Ireland respectfully submits that the perpetrator need not have as his aim the commission of the crime of genocide when he commits one or more of the material elements of the crime,” the statement continued. “The crime may also be committed when the perpetrator – regardless of its purpose – knows (or should know) that the natural and probable consequence of those acts is to destroy or contribute to the destruction of the protected group… and proceeds regardless of this. .”

The Irish government previously announced its plan to intervene in the case in March 2024. Its intervention marks the latest development in its increasingly vocal criticism of Israel’s warlike conduct.

Ireland had consistently criticized Israeli policies in the occupied West Bank and Gaza before the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, in which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 250 taken hostage.

Since Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza in response, Irish politicians across the political spectrum and the public have expressed concern over what has largely been seen as a heavy-handed response. As of Tuesday, Israeli strikes have killed at least 45,885 people in Gaza since October 7, 2023, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.

Relations between Ireland and Israel reached a nadir in December after Israel closed its embassy in Dublin. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar accused Ireland of “anti-Semitic rhetoric” in an official statement, stating that “Ireland has crossed all red lines in its relations with Israel.”

At the time, Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris described Israel’s decision as “deeply regrettable.”

Much of Ireland’s sympathy for the plight of the Palestinians arises from the country’s centuries-old subjugation by its British neighbors. In Northern Ireland, which is still under British rule, nationalist communities regularly fly the Palestinian flag, and some loyalists fly the Israeli flag in response.

The current president of Israel, Isaac Herzog, has Irish roots. His father, also a famous Israeli politician, was born in Belfast. Herzog’s grandfather, Isaac HaLevi Herzog, was Chief Rabbi of the Irish Free State (precursor to the present-day Republic of Ireland) and later served as Chief Rabbi of Israel.