Six more countries have intervened in the case filed by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians, at the International Court of Justice.
The Netherlands, Iceland and Namibia are backing allegations that the Israeli military may have committed war crimes in Gaza, while the US, Hungary and Fiji have joined in support of the Israelis.
A flurry of submissions were handed to the world court in the lead up to Friday. Each member state of the ICJ has been invited to make interventions in South Africa’s case.
The Netherlands government said in its submission it will argue that forced displacement, withholding humanitarian aid and starvation of Palestinians could be a demonstration of genocidal intent.
The Dutch will also make arguments about the role that third states have to prevent genocide from taking place. “The obligation to prevent genocide is a due diligence obligation and, hence, an obligation of conduct,” the declaration said.
The US and Hungary led arguments in support of Israel in their declarations announced by the court on Friday morning.
The US said it rejects the allegations of genocide, and that there is a decades-old history of levelling the accusation against Israel to “delegitimise” the country. “To avoid any doubt, the United States affirms, in the strongest terms possible, that the allegations of 'genocide' against Israel are false,” the declaration said.
It said international bodies had been "misused to level false charges of genocide against the State of Israel since at least May 1976 as part of a broader campaign to delegitimise the State of Israel and the Jewish people and to justify or encourage terrorism against them".
Hungary said the South African case risks “expanding the definition of genocide” and accused Israel’s critics of turning international courts into “a battleground, an arena for political debate”.
Supportive Dutch
Successive Dutch governments have been under pressure to end its export of F-35 components which campaigners say have been used in Gaza, despite imposing a ban on arms sales to Israel. In November, a Dutch court, the Hague Court of Appeal rejected a bid by campaign groups to have all arms exports to Israel including F-35s outlawed.
The government is currently considering a ban on imports from Israeli settlements.
It adds pressure on governments such as the UK, whose Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Attorney General Richard Hermer have said would be guided by international law and the courts in its foreign policy decision-making.
The UK recognised Palestine in a milestone decision in September. But critics say it has not written a formal legal response to the ICJ’s January 2024 order for provisional measures to be taken to prevent genocide in Gaza, nor on its July advisory opinion which found that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza were illegal.
