Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares announced on Thursday that his country is joining the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) complaint brought by South Africa against Israel, for breaching the Genocide Convention during its attack on the Gaza Strip.
“We made this decision in light of the continuation of the military operation in Gaza […]We also observe with enormous concern the regional extension of the conflict” said Albares, cited by Al Jazeera.
He stated that Spain made the decision to allow peace to return to Gaza and the Middle East in part because of its commitment to international law.
On May 28, Spain, jointly with Ireland and Norway, recognized Palestine as an independent State.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz gave instructions to recall Israeli envoys to Ireland and Norway for consultations.
The Jewish State also cut relations between the Spanish Consulate in occupied East Jerusalem and Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Late December, South Africa filed a complaint against Israel, accusing it of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. The dead toll from Israel’s assault in Gaza, which began in October, has topped 36,500.
It is conceivable that the ICJ will take years to determine on the merits of the genocide case. While its decisions are final and cannot be challenged, the UN’s highest court has no mechanism of enforcing them.
Israel has frequently said that it is obeying international law in Gaza. It has dismissed the genocide complaint and accused South Africa of serving as “the legal arm of Hamas”.
Spain will now join many other nations, including Colombia, Egypt, and Turkey, in formally asking to join the complaint against Israel.
Morocco welcomed ICJ decision, urging Israel to take “immediate measures” to ensure the protection of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and guarantee the sufficient and unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid