Spain has today submitted an intervention statement to the International Court of Justice in the proceedings brought by South Africa against Israel regarding the "Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip". It does so under Article 63 of the Court's Statute, as a State party to the 1948 Convention.
The Convention acknowledges that States that are party to the Convention have the right to intervene in this type of proceedings, and with this intervention statement Spain is making use of said right, in the same way as other States have already done (Colombia, Mexico and Palestine) and as others that have already announced their intention to intervene will also do (Ireland, Belgium and Chile).
Spain is taking this step out of its responsibility as a State party to the Convention. It does so out of a strong commitment to international law and to the work of the International Court of Justice, supporting its role as the highest judicial organ of the United Nations system and as the defender of a rules-based multilateral order.
With this intervention, Spain seeks to contribute to the return of peace to Gaza and the Middle East. The aim is to put an end to the war and begin to make progress in the implementation of the two States, which is the only real guarantee that Palestinians and Israelis can live together in peace and security, and that stability will be achieved throughout the region.
In this intervention statement, Spain expresses its views on certain matters that it regards as being of particular relevance, such as the interest in the Court examining the obligation to prevent the commission of genocide in light, on the one hand, of the provisional measures issued by the Court, which are mandatory; and, on the other hand, of the situation caused by the lack of humanitarian aid access to the Gaza Strip and the destruction of infrastructure.
In this case, the Court has issued provisional measures which include the cessation of the Rafah military operation, as well as precise measures on providing access to humanitarian aid. It has also urged Israel to open the passageways that will enable the flow of aid and will allow the medicine, food, fuel, and water that the Palestinians in Gaza need to survive to reach the Strip.
By presenting the intervention statement, Spain has committed itself to abide by the Court's ruling, which will also be binding for our country.
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