By Staff Mexico has filed an application with the International Court of Justice [ICJ] to join South Africa’s genocide case against “Israel”. Mexico indicated that it wished to “present its point of view on the interpretation of the provisions of the Convention relevant to the case”.

Mexico's request to intervene was based on Article 63 of the Court's Statute, which states that any signatory to the Genocide Convention can intervene in a case because it is an international treaty whose interpretation impacts all parties.

Adding that the convention not only proscribes mass killings, but also a broader array of conducts brought together by the intention to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group and that “the deliberate obstruction of access to humanitarian assistance” and the “destruction of cultural heritage” should be considered in the case.

While countries such as Colombia, Nicaragua and Libya have also expressed the will to join the case, with Belgium, Egypt, Ireland, Maldives and Turkey stating their intention to do the same, it is still unclear if Mexico’s application for intervention will be accepted.

South Africa filed a genocide case against “Israel” in December 2023, stating in its application that “Israel's” actions in Gaza were “genocidal in character because they are intended to bring about the destruction of a substantial part of the Palestinian national, racial and ethnical group”.

On May 10, it further urged the ICJ to order “Israel” to halt the war after the incursion in Rafah forced more than 800,000 people to flee.

On May 24, the ICJ ordered “Israel” to halt its aggression on Rafah, establish humanitarian corridors and allow the world body to investigate genocide.