Belgium becomes first EU country to join genocide case against Israel at ICJ

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The Belgian government is expected to discuss a proposal by coalition leaders to support South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

“We must act against the threat of genocide,” Deputy Prime Minister Petra de Sutter told X.

“I would like Belgium to follow South Africa’s example and file a lawsuit at the International Court of Justice.”

The first hearings in a lawsuit filed by South Africa in December accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians are scheduled for Thursday and Friday.

More than 23,000 people have been killed in Israeli shelling and attacks in the Gaza Strip since October 7, according to local authorities.

The Belgian government is expected to discuss the proposal submitted by De Sutter, a member of the Flemish Green Party, on Wednesday or next week, sources said.

If the Cabinet agrees to support the case, Belgium will have the option of filing its own case with the ICJ or joining South Africa’s case.

In a statement posted on Instagram, Ms de Sutter noted that Israel’s blockade of Gaza has prevented food, medicine and fuel from arriving and forced hospitals to perform surgeries without anesthesia.

Most of the enclave’s population has been evacuated, and it is unclear whether residents will be able to return.

“Representatives of the Israeli government have called Palestinians ‘human animals,’ declared they will ‘go to hell,’ and threatened to ‘eliminate them all,'” Ms de Satter said.

“An act of unimaginable horror. Like many of you, I am concerned. Under the Genocide Convention, it is our duty to act where there is a risk of genocide. Treaties are only valuable if we abide by them,” she said. .

In November, De Sutter called on the Belgian government to impose sanctions on Israel and the EU to ban imports of goods produced in illegal settlements.

Belgium later announced it would expel extremist Israeli settlers from its territory, but did not say who it targeted. The EU has not taken similar measures.

De Sutter also condemned Hamas and called for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip since October 7.

No EU member state has so far supported South Africa’s case at the ICJ, which has been criticized by Israel and the United States. Israel said it was doing its best to avoid civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip.

Earlier this week, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said his country would not support the case and warned that the country needed to be “very careful” about its definition of genocide.

Mr Varadkar has previously been the EU leader’s strongest critic of Israel’s military operation in Gaza, highlighting the West’s “double standards” in the war.

Mr Varadkar said last month that the EU, which has historically deep divisions over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, probably would not call for a ceasefire until the US called for one.

His comments on the South Africa case were echoed by British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, who said he did not think they were “useful” or “right”.

“I don’t think we should throw around words like genocide in this case, but I don’t think it’s right,” he told British MPs on Tuesday.

Countries supporting South Africa’s appeal include Malaysia, Turkey, Jordan, Bolivia and the 57-member Organization of Islamic States.

Updated: January 10, 2024, 1:35 p.m.