Seda Sevencan
13 January 2024•Update: 13 January 2024
ISTANBUL
The Canadian prime minister said his government's support for the International Court of Justice does not mean it backs the premise of the genocide claim brought by South Africa against Israel, according to CBC News.
"Canada has long been a tremendous supporter of the international rules-based order and processes and structures that have been put in place over the past decades to be able to actually ensure that international law is respected and enforced," Justin Trudeau told reporters.
"And the ICJ, International Court of Justice, is a key part of that. Our wholehearted support of the ICJ and its processes does not mean we support the premise of the case brought forward by South Africa," he said.
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly underscored the government's close monitoring of the case in a statement Friday.
"Under the UN's 1948 Genocide Convention, the crime of genocide requires the intention to destroy or partly destroy a group because of their nationality, ethnicity, race or religion. Meeting this high threshold requires compelling evidence," said Joly. "We must ensure that the procedural steps in this case are not used to foster antisemitism and targeting of Jewish neighbourhoods, businesses and individuals. At the same time, we will continue to stand against Islamophobia and anti-Arab sentiment."
South Africa, which filed the case in December, accused Israeli authorities of perpetrating genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. It requested provisional measures from the court to protect Palestinians, including by calling upon Israel to immediately halt military attacks.
South Africa laid out a list of alleged genocidal acts by Israel on the first day of the hearing Thursday, while Israel defended itself Friday.
Israel has killed more than 23,800 Palestinians in Gaza since an Oct. 7 cross-border offensive by Palestinian resistance group, Hamas. The military campaign has also caused mass displacement, destruction, and hunger.
