Indonesia and Slovenia are set to present a new charge against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on February 19 at The Hague, regarding the violations of Palestinian rights.
Both the countries will participate in an advisory opinion process on Israel’s control and policies over the occupied Palestinian territory. This comes after UN General Assembly (UNGA) in December 2022 requested the ICJ to issue an advisory opinion on whether Israeli policies against Palestinians violated international law.
“This is a very broad spectrum of alleged violations that have been committed in the region for decades and whose horrific consequences are still visible today,” said Slovenian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Tanja Fajon at a press conference on Thursday, January 11.
“In the light of recent events in Gaza and the West Bank, Slovenia, as one of the few EU countries, has decided to actively participate and present its views in these proceedings before the International Court of Justice, which has been asked to give an advisory opinion,” she added.
Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi is gathering input from international law experts to deliver a statement against Israel, her ministry said.
“Indonesia supports the efforts of the UN General Assembly to obtain an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice. International law must be upheld,” Marsudi said ahead of a discussion with international law experts in Jakarta on Tuesday, January 16.
“The right of the Palestinian people to self-determination must be respected. Israel’s occupation of Palestine, which has lasted for more than 70 years, will not erase the right of the Palestinian people to independence,” Marsudi said.
She stated that various Israeli policies, such as the annexation of Palestinian territories, settlements in the West Bank, and changing the status of the city of Jerusalem, are not valid according to international law.
“Israel’s invalid actions must be stopped, and there needs to be accountability for the violations of the law that have occurred. Countries must cease their support for Israel. The international community, including the UN, must not recognize the legality of Israel’s actions.”
“Indonesia’s appearance before the International Court will complement various diplomatic steps taken by Indonesia to support Palestine,” Marsudi added.
In a separate case at the ICJ, public hearings were held on Thursday, January 11 and Friday, January 12, for South Africa’s case that accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.
On December 29, 2023, South Africa filed a complaint with the ICJ, saying that Israel was violating the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide signed in 1948 following the Holocaust during World War II.
Israel launched continuous air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip following a Hamas surprise attack on October 7 that killed approximately 1,200 people.
Since October 7, more than 24,600 people, most of them women and children, were killed in the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip.
