EGYPT TO JOIN SOUTH AFRICA’S ICJ GENOCIDE CASE AGAINST ISRAEL

Sun 12 May 2024:

Egypt says it will formally join the lawsuit filed by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice which accuses Israel of violating its obligations under the Genocide Convention in the Gaza Strip.

In a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Egypt said the move comes due to the escalating Israeli aggression against Palestinian civilians.

“[It] comes in light of the worsening severity and scope of Israeli attacks against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, and the continued perpetration of systematic practices against the Palestinian people, including direct targeting of civilians and the destruction of infrastructure in the Strip, and pushing Palestinians to flee,” the ministry said.

Egypt said it is calling on Israel to comply with its obligations as the occupying power and to implement the provisional measures issued by the ICJ, which require ensuring access to humanitarian and relief aid in a manner that meets the needs of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

It also demands that Israeli forces not commit any violations against the Palestinian people.

In the statement, Egypt renewed its call to the UN Security Council and international parties to immediately take action to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and to stop military operations in Rafah, as well as to provide the necessary protection for Palestinian civilians.

Egypt deals ‘unbelievable diplomatic blow to Israel’: Analyst

With Egypt joining South Africa’s ICJ genocide case against Israel, Alon Liel, former director of Israel’s Foreign Ministry, tells Al Jazeera the move is an “unbelievable diplomatic blow to Israel”.

“Egypt is the cornerstone of our standing in the Middle East,” he said. The connections that Israel has in the Middle East and North Africa today, including with Jordan, the UAE and Morocco, is all “a result of what Egypt did 40 years ago”.

“With Egypt joining South Africa now in The Hague, it’s a real diplomatic punch. Israel would have to take it very seriously.

“This is what I have been warning about. It’s coming from several directions. Israel has to … listen to the world – not only to the Israeli public opinion asking now for revenge.

“We have to look overall in the wider picture, in the long-term security of Israel, not only in the next few weeks in Gaza.”

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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