Cuba has announced its decision to participate in the proceedings initiated by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), joining a growing list of nations challenging Israel’s actions in Gaza.
The Cuban Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodriguez confirmed this in a statement saying: “Cuba has decided to participate as a third-party state in South Africa’s complaint against Israel before the ICJ.”
As a third-party state, Cuba will not be directly involved in the dispute but will present legal arguments to support its interpretation of the Genocide Convention.
The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs elaborated in a statement, asserting that Israel has “flagrantly violated” the standards of the convention through its actions in the Gaza Strip, which Cuba considers illegally occupied.
“Cuba will exercise its right to present, as a third-party state, its interpretation of the standards of the convention that Israel has flagrantly violated through its actions in the illegally occupied Palestinian territory of the Gaza Strip,” the statement read.
It emphasized Havana’s commitment to supporting international efforts aimed at ending what it described as genocide against the Palestinian people.
South Africa first approached the ICJ in late December 2023,, urging the court to address Israel’s genocidal war on Palestinians. In January, the ICJ ordered Israel to prevent any acts of genocide and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, although it stopped short of mandating a ceasefire.
Following a subsequent appeal from Pretoria, the ICJ directed Israel on May 24 to “immediately” halt its military aggression in Rafah.
The court has not yet ruled on the core allegation that Israel is in violation of the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention.
The case has garnered support from several countries, including Colombia, Mexico, and Chile, with Ireland also expressing its intention to join the proceedings.
Meanwhile, Israel’s military offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed at least 37,551 Palestinians since Oct. 7, Gaza’s health ministry said on Saturday.
A further 85,911 have been wounded.
A total of 101 Palestinians have been killed and 169 wounded in the past 24 hours, the ministry said in a statement.
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