Dublin MEP Barry Andrews is to host a significant event at the European Parliament tomorrow to discuss South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). So far, Ireland is the only EU State to state its intention to intervene in the case.The event, which takes place in Brussels tomorrow afternoon (Wednesday 3rd April), will welcome world-leading legal experts to analyse the crime of genocide and discuss possible actions that the EU could, and should, take.The discussion, consisting of two panels and co-hosted with Spanish MEP Soraya Rodríguez Ramos, will hear from experts including Giulia Pinzauti, expert in International Law and Former Associate Legal Officer of the ICJ as well as Professor Janina Dill from Oxford University’s Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict.Speaking before the event, Barry Andrews MEP commented, “The people of Gaza are living through a nightmare. The Genocide Convention isn’t just about bringing the perpetrators of genocide to justice, it’s also about preventing these kind of horrors from happening again.“The ICJ has jurisdiction to make rulings aimed at preventing future suffering on this scale. Unfortunately, the legal intricacies of the crime of genocide may be difficult to pin down. However, we must do everything in our power to stop the killing, the starvation and the forced movement of populations.”The Irish government approved an intervention in the case last week, concluding that blocking humanitarian aid may constitute genocidal intent. Filing this intervention will likely happen later this year as it must first wait for South Africa to file its own motion.MEP Andrews continued, “With well over a million Gazans now facing imminent famine, this intervention is the right step for Ireland. It could have happened earlier, but it is welcome nonetheless. I strongly believe that the EU can and should do far more. We are witnessing one of the worst man-made catastrophes in history. The lack of action by other EU States to date is extremely regrettable.
“Ireland must continue to push for a permanent ceasefire, the opening of more border crossings and a rapid increase in the flow of humanitarian aid. While these conditions are not met, Ireland must push for an arms embargo to Israel as well as the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.”
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