The Cuban Foreign Ministry announced in a statement on its website that "the Government of the Republic of Cuba has decided to engage in the contentious proceedings initiated by the Republic of South Africa against Israel before the International Court of Justice." It noted that "based on the provisions of Article 63 of the Statute of the International Court, and in strict compliance with its obligations as a party to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, Cuba will exercise its right to present the following: 'as a third state, its interpretation of the rules of the convention that Israel has blatantly violated with its actions in the illegally occupied Palestinian territories in Gaza.'"
The Cuban Foreign Ministry explained that "Israel, with its full immunity from punishment and protected by the complicity of the United States government, disregards its obligations as an occupying power under the Fourth Geneva Convention." The statement concluded: "Genocide, apartheid, forced displacement, and collective punishment have no place in today's world, and the international community cannot tolerate them. Justice and respect for the United Nations Charter and international law must prevail."
