Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares says his country will join a coalition of countries backing South Africa in its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, Albares said that Madrid has made the decision as Israel continues its military aggression in the Gaza Strip.
“We also observe with enormous concern the regional extension of the conflict,” he said.
The top Spanish diplomat emphasized that his country took the decision to not only “let peace return to Gaza and the Middle East” but also due to its commitment to international law.
Spain’s decision is solely aimed at putting “an end to the war” and to advance on the road of applying the so-called two-state solution, Albares said, a week after Spain, Ireland and Norway announced that they formally recognize the State of Palestine.
In a coordinated attempt to exert added international pressure on the Israeli regime to stop its genocidal campaign in the besieged Gaza Strip, the three Western European nations on May 28 joined dozens of countries that have already recognized a Palestinian state.
The trio’s recognition marks a significant accomplishment for the Palestinian nation, confirming the international legitimacy of the State of Palestine.
South Africa lodged a complaint against Israel at the ICJ on December 29, 2023, nearly three months after the occupying regime launched its brutal aggression against Gaza.
The complaint asked judges in the court to declare that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza and order the regime to stop its attacks on people.
The ICJ found it plausible that Israel’s acts could amount to genocide and issued an initial ruling ordering Israel to refrain from acts that could fall under the Genocide Convention.
The World Court issued another verdict in March ordering the regime to ensure that basic food supplies can reach people in Gaza.
Last month, South Africa submitted another request to the ICJ for three urgent orders, known as “provisional measures,” as it probes into Israel’s violations of the 1948 UN Genocide Convention.
The top UN court ordered Israel last month to halt military operations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah- where displaced Palestinians were seeking safety from Israel’s military offensive, establish humanitarian corridors and allow the world body to investigate genocide.
Israel waged the genocidal war on the blockaded Gaza Strip on October 7 after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas conducted Operation al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.
Since the start of the aggression, Israel has been committing war crimes in Gaza, killing at least 36,586 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injuring some 83,074 others.
Spain will now join several countries, including Colombia and Turkey, in formally requesting to join the case against Israel.
