Ireland has formally joined South Africa’s genocide case against Israel, as announced by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Tuesday.
The filing, submitted on Monday, follows Ireland's earlier announcement of its intention to intervene in the case before the United Nations’ highest judicial body.
According to the court's statement, “Ireland, invoking Article 63 of the Statute of the Court, filed in the Registry of the Court a declaration of intervention in the case concerning Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip.”
South Africa initiated the case at the ICJ in December 2023, accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Israel has vehemently denied these allegations, labeling South Africa’s filing as a “despicable and contemptuous exploitation of the Court.”
In an initial ruling in January 2024, the court directed Israel to restrain its attacks in Gaza, and in May, it ordered an immediate halt to military operations in the city of Rafah, located in southern Gaza.
The United Nations permits countries to intervene in proceedings if they are parties to the 1948 Genocide Convention.
A spokesperson for Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed the filing on Tuesday, stating, “It is important for the Court, in its consideration of any multilateral convention, to understand how other parties to that convention interpret and apply it.”
The filing had been anticipated for some time. Last month, the Irish government approved a plan to submit its argument in the case, with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin indicating that it would be filed in The Hague within weeks.
Mr. Martin remarked in December that there has been “a collective punishment of the Palestinian people through the intent and impact of military actions of Israel in Gaza, leaving 44,000 dead and millions of civilians displaced.” He added that Ireland would urge the court to expand its interpretation of what constitutes genocide by a state.
Experts predict that the court is unlikely to rule on the genocide charge for several years.
This decision to intervene reflects Ireland’s long-standing support for Palestinian civilians, influenced by its own historical experiences with British colonialism and the sectarian conflict known as The Troubles, which concluded with the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.
Last month, Israel announced the closure of its embassy in Dublin, citing what it described as “the extreme anti-Israel policies of the Irish government.” Israeli officials clarified that this action does not signify a severance of diplomatic relations with Ireland.