Türkiye decides to join the genocide case against Israel filed by South Africa before the International Court of Justice

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced that his country had joined the genocide lawsuit filed by South Africa against Israel before the International Court of Justice.

This came in a press conference held by Fidan with his Indonesian counterpart, Retno Marsudi, on Wednesday in the Turkish capital, Ankara.

Fidan indicated that he sensed during his discussions in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, with the countries that recognize Palestine, especially within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League countries, that some of them were ready to take a position on the genocide lawsuit against Israel before the International Court of Justice.

He stated that Nicaragua and Colombia had taken a concrete position on the issue, adding, “We presented the results of our assessments today to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and I would like to announce them here for the first time; In accordance with the political decision taken, we decided in Türkiye to join the lawsuit filed by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice”.

Fidan expressed his hope that the case at the International Court of Justice would proceed in the right direction with this step taken by Türkiye.

He continued, “We’ll complete our legal procedures after our president made this political decision and announced it to the whole world”.

He added, “In the meantime, we will continue to work with all friendly and allied countries on what can be done regarding the issue and which other countries can also submit requests”.

Fidan stressed that Israel continues to commit crimes against Palestinian civilians with a great deal of recklessness and audacity, despite the reactions of the international community.

He added, “In the twenty-first century, while deaths are occurring due to famine in Gaza, and mass graves are being discovered in places from which the Israeli army has withdrawn, and civilians are being targeted, including women, children, the sick and the elderly, what more is the international community waiting for?

Minister Fidan said that he discussed with his Indonesian counterpart the current regional and global developments, and that the Palestinian issue was at the heart of the talks, and that he was happy to see Indonesia once again sharing Türkiye’s position and sensitivities regarding Palestine.

He explained, “I was in Riyadh to attend the meeting of the contact group on Gaza, and there we held meetings among ourselves first as a contact group, then with the participation of representatives of Western countries”.

He said, “We once again strongly stressed the necessity of recognizing the Palestinian state and the two-state solution… We were pleased to see some Western countries now accepting that the two-state solution is a condition, and that ensuring the security of Palestine is no less important than the security of Israel”.

He continued, “With all these efforts, we now see that the whole world has reached the same point, at least on a rhetorical basis… The announcement by some European countries that they are close to recognizing Palestine gives rise to hope… Currently, about 136 countries recognize Palestine, but since European countries and America don’t recognize it, Palestine’s status isn’t registered, especially in the UN Security Council”.

Fidan added, “At the current stage, this widespread recognition will translate into a greater degree of legitimacy and international acceptance, which will impose greater pressure on the Security Council, especially the United States. At this stage, we continue our systematic and intensive work with our friends in this regard”.

He said, “We, as an international community, must systematically and effectively say: Stop this inhumane situation”.

Fidan stressed that the conscience of Türkiye, the Palestinians, other countries seeking justice and law, and the international community won’t accept Israel’s efforts to subjugate the Palestinian people and expel them from their lands.

He said, “We’re faced with two choices: either we will be on the side of law and humanity, or we will be on the side of oppression and we will all pay the price… The problems this caused”.

Fidan stated that they had previously warned at the beginning of the crisis that this humanitarian tragedy in Gaza could spark social events around the world.

He pointed out that people took to the streets in countries that support Israel unconditionally, and that these countries must wake up as soon as possible to avoid reaching a worse point, and that the blood that was shed in Gaza isn’t only the blood of Palestinians, and that humanity is facing a test in Gaza.

Regarding his country’s accession to the case of suing Israel before the International Court of Justice, the Turkish minister pointed out that during the last period, Turkish lawyers from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Justice, and professors at Turkish universities, worked very intensively on the legal front and they have reached a certain point, stressing, “When we finish… From the legal text of our study, we will submit our formal request to the International Court of Justice to put this political decision into effect.

Fidan concluded, “We’ll continue to stand by the Palestinian people in all situations”.