Cuba has officially declared its intention to join South Africa’s case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the court announced on Monday.
“Cuba, 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,” the court stated.
With the move, Cuba joined Nicaragua, Colombia, Mexico, Libya, Bolivia, Turkey, the Maldives, Chile, Spain, Ireland and the Palestinian Authority, all of which had previously joined the South African case.
South Africa filed the case against Israel at the ICJ in December of 2023, accusing Israel of violating the Genocide Convention during its attacks in Gaza.
On January 26, 2024, the ICJ handed down a ruling in South Africa’s case, saying that Israel must do everything to prevent genocidal acts in Gaza and take "immediate" measures for aid provisions. It did not, however, order Israel to stop the war in Gaza.
Cuba and Israel have not had official diplomatic relations since 1973, when then-Cuban leader Fidel Castro broke off the ties. Cuba was one of the first countries to recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) after its founding in 1964.