Nicaragua Takes Action Against Israel at the International Court of Justice

The International Court of Justice announced today, Thursday, that Nicaragua has filed a request to join South Africa in its lawsuit against Israel, accusing it of committing genocide. The court stated that Nicaragua considers Israel's conduct to be "a violation of its obligations under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide." South Africa and Israel have been invited to submit written observations regarding Nicaragua's request for permission to intervene as a party in the case. However, historically, the court has rarely approved such interventions requested by Nicaragua. Several other countries have indicated they may wish to intervene in the genocide case in Gaza, but none of them have done so officially except for Nicaragua. South Africa filed a genocide lawsuit against Israel in December 2023, declaring that Israel is violating its obligations under the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in its war against the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in Gaza. Last month, the court ordered Israel to prevent acts of genocide against Palestinians and to do more to assist civilians, but it did not order a cessation of hostilities as requested by South Africa.