Ankara joining ICJ case against Israel important for holding Israel accountable, says Turkish top official

Türkiye hopes this will also serve as example for other countries, says Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz

By Gozde Bayar

Türkiye's decision to join South Africa's case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is important for holding Israel accountable, the Turkish vice president said on Wednesday.

“The comprehensive file prepared by our country is an important initiative in terms of the rule of law and holding Israel accountable. We hope it will also serve as an example for other countries,” Cevdet Yilmaz said on X.

Trust in human values, international law, and institutions is closely linked to how this process unfolds, he added.

Türkiye will follow this case until the “genocidal” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government, who have massacred 40,000 innocent Palestinians since last October, get the punishment they deserve, he added.

“We will continue our support until an independent Palestinian state with territorial integrity is established within the 1967 borders and the oppressed Palestinian people are free,” he said.

Türkiye on Wednesday submitted a declaration to the UN’s highest court saying that it is joining South Africa's genocide case against Israel.

Türkiye thus became a party to the genocide case, joining Nicaragua, Colombia, Libya, Mexico, Palestine, and Spain, who also joined South Africa, which filed the case last December.

Türkiye’s file is expected to support South Africa's arguments and address how the UN Genocide Convention should be applied to Israel's actions in Gaza since Oct. 7.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian group Hamas.

Ten months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel has killed nearly 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza since Oct. 7, and is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice for its military campaign.

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