As I have set out in response to previous Parliamentary Questions, and most recently earlier today in response to a question from Deputy Carthy, Ireland intends to file a Declaration of Intervention in the case initiated by South Africa against Israel under the Genocide Convention at the International Court of Justice after South Africa has filed its Memorial.
On 5 April, the ICJ made an Order setting time-limits for the filing of written pleadings by the parties in this case. It fixed 28 October 2024 for South Africa to file its Memorial, and 28 July 2025 for Israel to file its Counter-Memorial. It remains our intention to seek to intervene in this case under Article 63 of the Statute of the ICJ after South Africa has filed its Memorial, which we now know will be towards the end of 2024.
By making a declaration of intervention under Article 63 of the ICJ Statute states do not ‘join’ one side or another in the case; rather, they submit a statement that sets out their interpretation of one or more provisions of whatever Convention is at issue before the Court. This Declaration of Intervention must then be deemed admissible by the Court. Waiting until South Africa has filed its Memorial will ensure that we have a good understanding of what provisions of the Genocide Convention South Africa intends to rely on, which we can then in turn address, making it more likely that the Court will deem our intervention admissible.
