Brazil decides to join South Africa’s lawsuit against Israel to investigate genocide in Gaza.
The International Court of Justice announced that Brazil has joined the lawsuit filed by South Africa against Israel in December 2023 for committing genocide in the Gaza Strip, a move welcomed by the Palestinian Foreign Ministry.
The court said in a statement on Friday evening that Brazil “based its application for accession, submitted on September 17, on Article 63 of the court’s Statute”.
Article 63 stipulates that if the issue before the court relates to the interpretation of an agreement to which some of the parties are states that aren’t parties to the case, the Registrar must notify those states without delay.
Accordingly, Brazil will be able to make statements on how to interpret the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, which forms the basis of the South African case.
In a statement issued by its Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday, Palestine welcomed Brazil’s decision to submit an official request to join the lawsuit filed before the International Court of Justice by the Republic of South Africa against Israel regarding the crime of genocide committed against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.
The Brazilian ministry of Foreign Affairs said that this step “clearly expresses Brazil’s commitment to the principles of international law and its support for justice and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, and constitutes an important addition to international efforts aimed at ending impunity and holding Israel accountable for its crimes”.
The Brazilian ministry of Foreign Affairs considered this step “a sincere expression of Brazil’s principled position in support of international law and its support for justice and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people”.
The statement called on all countries of the world to follow the example of Brazil and South Africa and assume their legal and moral responsibilities to protect the Palestinian people and stop the crimes of genocide against them.
It also called on them to join this call, given its importance in strengthening the position of international law and consolidating international efforts aimed at achieving justice and putting an end to Israeli violations.
At the end of 2023, South Africa filed a lawsuit against Israel before the International Court of Justice, based in The Hague, on the grounds that it violated the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
In January 2024, the International Court of Justice issued provisional measures ordering Israel to take steps to prevent genocide in Gaza and direct incitement to genocide, and rejected Israel’s request to dismiss the lawsuit filed by South Africa.
In May 2024, the court ordered Israel to halt its attack on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip.
With Brazil joining the case, several countries previously have joined the cause, with South Africa, including, Nicaragua, Colombia, Libya, Egypt, Maldives, Mexico, Ireland, Chile, Palestine, and Spain.
Also, another list of countries declared their support to the law suit, including, Türkiye, Slovenia, Belgium, Malaysia, Jordan, Bolivia.
