Ireland seeks to broaden definition of genocide in ICJ case against Israel due to 'collective punishment of the Palestinian people'

Ireland, a vocal critic of Israel, reportedly seeks to broaden the definition of genocide in the South African-initiated case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, Netherlands.

Ireland's Foreign Minister, Michael Martin, has formally received government authorization to intervene in the controversial case, the Department of Foreign Affairs announced on Wednesday.

"By legally intervening in South Africa’s case, Ireland will be asking the ICJ to broaden its interpretation of what constitutes the commission of genocide by a State," the foreign affairs department stated. 

"We are concerned that a very narrow interpretation of what constitutes genocide leads to a culture of impunity in which the protection of civilians is minimized."

"There has been a collective punishment of the Palestinian people through the intent and impact of military actions of Israel in Gaza, leaving 44,000 dead and millions of civilians displaced," the ministry claimed.

The statement was a reference to official statistics provided by the Hamas-led Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and terrorists and has been strongly criticized for widely exaggerating and distorting casualty numbers. 

"Ireland’s view of the convention is broader and prioritizes the protection of civilian life. Intervening in both cases demonstrates the consistency of Ireland’s approach to the interpretation and application of the Genocide Convention,” the statement continued.

In August, the Israeli military estimated that it had eliminated some 17,000 terrorists in Gaza since the beginning of the War on Oct. 7, 2023. This would mean that close to half of the fatalities in Gaza have been Hamas terrorists and armed operatives from other terrorist organizations. 

Furthermore, the Irish government has largely ignored the fact that Hamas terrorists deliberately embed themselves in civilian structures and use Gazan civilians as human shields – a war crime under international law. 

South Africa formally submitted in January its genocide charges against Israel, which firmly rejected the accusations. Several Israeli leaders described the case as antisemitic and a blood libel.

The genocide case leveled by South Africa against Israel is reportedly funded by the Iranian regime, according to a November report published by the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP). The South African government maintains close diplomatic and commercial ties with the ayatollah regime in Iran.

Ireland has emerged as one of Israel’s harshest critics in the West. In May, Ireland joined Spain and Norway in unilaterally recognizing “Palestine” as a de facto state, despite its failure to meet international criteria for statehood, such as well-defined borders and effective control over a specific population and territory.

“The Government recognizes Palestine as a sovereign and independent state and agreed to establish full diplomatic relations between Dublin and Ramallah,” the government of Ireland stated at the time. 

Israel strongly condemned Ireland, Spain and Norway and accused the European nations of rewarding Hamas terrorists for committing the largest single massacre of Jews since the Holocaust last October.