Turkish FM calls for global support in case against Israel

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has called on the international community to join the International Court of Justice (ICJ) case against Israel initiated by South Africa.

"The entire world should join the genocide case against Israel. Those who unconditionally support Israel are complicit in the crimes it is committing in Gaza. The crimes in Gaza will not go unpunished; sooner or later, those responsible will be punished," the minister told journalists in Istanbul, Caliber.Az reports citing the Russian media.

On August 7, Türkiye filed a petition with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague to join the case against Israel. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly labeled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a "war criminal," calling for accountability for the crimes against humanity committed in Gaza.

South Africa initiated the lawsuit against Israel at the ICJ on December 29, 2023. In its petition, South Africa seeks to have the court recognize Israeli actions in Gaza as genocide, arguing that they are carried out with the specific intent to "destroy Palestinians in Gaza as part of the broader Palestinian national, racial, and ethnic group." South Africa also requested the court to impose provisional measures to protect the Palestinian population from further serious and irreparable harm.