Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has announced that Turkey would lend its support to South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Fidan stated during a joint press conference with Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi in Ankara, “Upon completion of the legal text of our work, we will submit the declaration of official intervention before the ICJ to implement this political decision.”
He reiterated Turkey’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause, affirming, “Turkey will continue to support the Palestinian people in all circumstances.”
In January, the ICJ issued an order to Israel, urging it to refrain from any actions that could be considered as violating the Genocide Convention and to ensure that its forces do not engage in genocidal acts against Palestinians. This directive came after South Africa accused Israel of perpetrating state-led genocide in Gaza.
Earlier in January, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had declared that Turkey was providing evidence to support the case at the ICJ, also known as the World Court.
While Israel and its Western allies have dismissed the allegations as unfounded, the final verdict in South Africa’s ICJ case in The Hague is expected to be prolonged, potentially taking several years to reach.