Spain announced its intention to join South Africa’s legal action against Israel in the UN’s International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Israel of “genocide” in Gaza.
Recently, Spain recognised Palestine as a state, a move that also involved Ireland and Norway and which provoked a strong response from Israel.
Spain’s Foreign Minister, Jose Manuel Albares, emphasized that the country’s primary aim in joining this case is to halt the ongoing war and promote the two-state solution. The case at the ICJ was initiated by South Africa, stemming from Israel’s military response to an attack by Hamas, which South Africa claims violated the 1948 UN Genocide Convention.
In recent proceedings, the ICJ has taken actions such as ordering Israel to allow UN investigators access to Gaza to investigate the genocide allegations and to cease military operations in certain areas to allow humanitarian aid.
Despite these orders, the ICJ lacks mechanisms to enforce its rulings directly, as evidenced by similar orders in other conflicts, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which have been ignored.
