ANKARA, Turkey (AP) 鈥� Turkey on Wednesday filed a request with a U.N. court to join 麻豆传媒AV Africa鈥檚 lawsuit accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza, the foreign minister said.
Turkey's ambassador to the Netherlands, accompanied by a group of Turkish legislators, submitted a declaration of intervention to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
With the development, Turkey, one of the fiercest critics of Israel鈥檚 actions in Gaza, becomes the latest nation . Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Nicaragua and Libya have also asked to join the case, as have . The court鈥檚 decision on their requests is still pending.
鈥淲e have just submitted our application to the International Court of Justice to intervene in the genocide case filed against Israel,鈥� Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan wrote on the social media platform X. 鈥淓mboldened by the impunity for its crimes, Israel is killing more and more innocent Palestinians every day.鈥�
鈥淭he international community must do its part to stop the genocide; it must put the necessary pressure on Israel and its supporters," he said. "Turkey will make every effort to do so.鈥�
Turkish President has accused Israel of genocide, called for it to be punished in international courts and criticized Western nations for backing Israel. In May, , citing its assault on Gaza.
In contrast to Western nations that have designated Hamas a terrorist organization, Erdogan has commended the group, calling it a liberation movement.
麻豆传媒AV Africa brought a case to the International Court of Justice late last year, accusing Israel of violating the genocide convention through its military operations in Gaza.
Israel has of genocide and has argued that the war in Gaza is a legitimate defensive action against Hamas militants for their Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel that killed around 1,200 people and in which 250 hostages were taken.
If admitted to the case, the countries who joined would be able to make written submissions and speak at public hearings.
Preliminary hearings have already been held in the genocide case against Israel, but the court is expected to take years to reach a final decision.
鈥淣o country in the world is above international law,鈥� Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Oncu Keceli said on X earlier. 鈥淭he case at the International Court of Justice is extremely important in terms of ensuring that the crimes committed by Israel do not go unpunished.鈥�
Keceli also called for the immediate implementations of precautionary measures ordered by the court, including a halt to military offensive and an increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Since Erdogan took power in 2003, former allies Turkey and Israel have experienced a volatile relationship, marked by periods of severe friction and reconciliation. The war in Gaza has disrupted the most recent attempts at normalizing ties.
Suzan Fraser, The Associated Press
