Bangladesh has expressed its solidarity with South Africa in its legal action against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over alleged genocide in Gaza. Bangladesh, which does not recognize Israel, accused the Jewish state of violating the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide and called for an end to its occupation of Palestine.
The ICJ, also known as the World Court, held hearings on January 12 and 13, 2024, to decide whether it has jurisdiction to hear South Africa’s application, which claims that Israel has committed genocide against the Palestinians during its military campaign against Hamas in Gaza. South Africa, which severed diplomatic ties with Israel in 2018, argued that Israel’s actions amounted to “a deliberate and systematic destruction of an ethnic, racial or religious group”.
Israel rejected the allegations and challenged the ICJ’s authority to deal with the matter, saying that the court should not interfere in the laws of armed conflict, which are governed by other international treaties and conventions. Israel also defended its right to self-defense and blamed Hamas for using civilians as human shields and launching rockets from densely populated areas.
Several countries and organizations have voiced their support for either side in the dispute. The US, UK, Canada and Germany backed Israel, while Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, the Organization of Islamic Countries and the Arab League sided with South Africa. Bangladesh joined the latter group on Sunday, January 15, 2024, with a statement from its Foreign Ministry that condemned Israel’s “atrocities” and “massacres” in Gaza and demanded the restoration of the pre-1967 borders.
The ICJ is expected to announce its decision on the jurisdiction issue in the coming weeks. If the court decides to proceed with the case, it will then hear the arguments on the merits of the genocide claim, which could take years to resolve. The ICJ’s rulings are binding, but it has no power to enforce them.