Belgium on Tuesday officially joined South Africa in its case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which accuses Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip, AFP reported.
The UN’s highest court, based in The Hague, said in a statement quoted by the news agency that Brussels had filed a declaration of intervention.
South Africa lodged the case in December 2023, claiming that Israel’s military campaign in Gaza violated the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Israel denies the accusation, calling it baseless and politically motivated.
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.
Several countries have joined the South African lawsuit against Israel, including Nicaragua, Colombia, Mexico, Libya, Bolivia, Turkey, the Maldives, Chile, Spain, Ireland and Cuba.
Belgium’s move comes months after it formally recognized the “State of Palestine” in September, joining several other countries that did so at the time.