From the Liveblog of
Sunday, May 12, 2024
Egypt announces intention to join South Africa’s lawsuit against Israel in UN’s top court
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
Egypt announces it will support South Africa’s lawsuit in the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.
The announcement from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry comes as Israeli troops continue to operate along the Egypt-Gaza border, a move that Cairo has warned could endanger the peace treaty between the two countries.
Egypt’s statement says the decision “comes in light of the worsening severity and scope of Israeli attacks against Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, and the continued perpetration of systematic practices against the Palestinian people, including direct targeting of civilians and the destruction of infrastructure in the Strip, and pushing Palestinians to flee.”
Egypt has said it would not open its borders to allow large numbers of Gazans to escape the fighting. It has also closed the Rafah Crossing to humanitarian aid to protest the IDF operation there.
The statement calls for the international community to push for a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the Rafah operation.
