Calls for the government to intervene in South Africa’s case have been intensifying since January.

Following months of growing support for Palestine in Ireland, Foreign Affairs Minister Micheál Martin is preparing a declaration of intervention into South Africa’s genocide case against Israel, at the International Court of Justice. According to reporting in the Irish Independent, Cabinet will be informed of this move today, and if approved, the Irish Government will officially intervene in the case, under the 1948 Genocide Convention.

In January, the Dáil passed a motion which urged the government to urgently consider the matter. However, this is the first significant step towards officially joining South Africa’s case.

Today, Martin described Israel’s bombardment of Palestine as a “humanitarian catastrophe”, and highlighted that aid has clearly been prevented to reach the people in Gaza who desperately need it. Following a brief from his legal team, Martin said “we believe we have a basis for an intervention”.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has already consulted with the legal adviser of the South African foreign ministry. If the move is officially approved by Government, the Declaration of Intervention will then be filed in The Hague.

Speaking to reporters this morning, soon-to-be Taoiseach Simon Harris expressed that he was keen to hear from the Tánaiste at Cabinet about the move to intervene in the case. He stated, “There’s a human catastrophe unfolding in front of our eyes, in front of the world’s eyes. The world cannot turn a blind eye and, in fact, I think the phrase human catastrophe doesn’t even capture the scale of devastation that is being seen in Gaza.”

Activist groups, members of the public and opposition parties have been calling for the government to intervene in South Africa’s case since January. Just today, further reports of Israel’s military bombarding Rafah have emerged. Rafah is now the most densely populated place on earth following Israel’s bombardment of other parts of Palestine. It was also the last remaining ‘safe zone’ in the region for Palestinians. Over 32,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel, and reports have warned that famine is imminent.

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