Turkey submits bid to join ICJ genocide case against Israel

Duvar English

Turkey on Aug. 7 submitted its declaration of intervention to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the case against Israel on charges of genocide.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced the submission on his social media account, stating, "We have just submitted our application to intervene in the genocide case against Israel to the International Court of Justice. Encouraged by the impunity of its crimes, Israel is killing more innocent Palestinians every day. The international community must take action to stop the genocide and apply the necessary pressure on Israel and its supporters. Turkey will do everything in its power to support this effort."

A delegation comprising Turkey's Ambassador to The Hague and members of parliament submitted Turkey’s declaration of intervention to the ICJ Registry, according to reporting by the Anadolu Agency (AA). 

The delegation included Ambassador Selçuk Ünal, ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Istanbul deputies Cüneyt Yüksel and İsmail Emrah Karayel, and constitutional committee member and AKP Denizli deputy Cahit Özkan.

Turkey thus became the seventh country to file a declaration of intervention in the genocide case between South Africa and Israel at the ICJ, following Nicaragua, Colombia, Libya, Mexico, Palestine, and Spain. 

Under Article 63 of the ICJ Statute, the court will inform the parties to the case, Israel and South Africa, about Turkey’s intervention, and the two countries are expected to submit their observations on Turkey's declaration to the court.

Explaining that the application was based on Article 63 of the ICJ Statute, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Öncü Keçeli said, "No country in the world is above international law. The case at the International Court of Justice is crucial to ensure that Israel’s crimes do not go unpunished."

Keçeli reminded that the ICJ's provisional measures, which call for Israel to halt its attacks on the Gaza Strip and open the Rafah border crossing for humanitarian aid, should be implemented immediately. "We call on the UN Security Council to do its part. Turkey will continue to support the just cause of the Palestinians," he said.

Turkey announced its decision to join the case in May, as it stepped up measures against Israel over the assault on Gaza, adding that its bid would follow the necessary legal preparations.

Israel has repeatedly dismissed the case's accusations of genocide as baseless, arguing in court that its operations in Gaza are self-defense and targeted at Hamas militants who attacked Israel on Oct. 7.