Summarised by Centrist
Legal experts and academics have urged the New Zealand Government to support South Africa’s application initiating proceedings at The Hague against Israel for alleged genocide.
The application is set to be heard at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on January 11, 2024. Ten experts and academics have sent an open letter to New Zealand’s Prime Minister and other officials calling for support. While New Zealand faces diplomatic sensitivities, proponents argue that the government should nonetheless express support for the request for provisional measures or seek to intervene in the case.
Since the current conflict ignited on 7 October 2023, after approximately 1400 Israelis were killed, fighting has now displaced 2 million Gazans and killed approximately 23,000 people, mostly women and children.
“We understand the diplomatic sensitivities involved in these proceedings. We ask that New Zealand steps up, in a principled way, as this Government did when it debated a parliamentary motion on steps towards a ceasefire in Gaza ahead of its Five Eyes partners,” the letter states.
