Spain has decided to join South Africa's lawsuit against Israel

The Spanish authorities have decided to join the lawsuit that the Republic of South Africa (SAA) initiated against Israel at the International Court of Justice. According to "Armenpress", this was reported by the Spanish newspaper El Salto, citing the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom, Jose Manuel Albarez. "Spain is going to join the case of the International Court of Justice, which the Republic of South Africa started because of the situation in Gaza," said the diplomat. at the press conference. Answering the question whether Madrid considers what is happening in Gaza to be genocide, Albares said: "It is a matter for the court and Spain will defend the verdict." Relations between Spain and Israel have deteriorated since Madrid's decision to recognize Palestine as a state. Israel recalled its ambassador to Madrid. And on May 27, Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced that the country's Foreign Ministry ordered to prohibit the Spanish Consulate in Jerusalem from providing consular services to Palestinians in the West Bank of the Jordan River. The Palestinian Authority filed a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague on December 29, 2023. to In its petition, the South African side asks the court to recognize that the actions of the Israeli authorities in the Gaza Strip can be qualified as genocide, as they are carried out "with the specific intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza as part of the wider Palestinian nationality, racial and ethnic group." South Africa also asked the court to take interim measures to protect the Palestinian population from further serious and irreparable violations of its rights. The court ruled on January 26 that Israel must take all necessary measures to prevent genocide in Gaza. Later, the court also stated that the Jewish state must immediately stop the military offensive in Rafah and keep the Rafah checkpoint open to provide the necessary humanitarian aid to the Palestinians.