Colombia appoints representatives in genocide case against Israel

President Gustavo Petro (Image: President's Office)

President Gustavo Petro swore in two diplomats to represent Colombia at the genocide case brought against Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The diplomats will support the legal team of South Africa, which charged Israel with genocide before the world court in December.

According to the governments of South Africa and Colombia, Israel has been committing a genocide of the Palestinian residents of the Gaza strip sin October last year.

The government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists that its armed forces have been targeting Palestinian armed group Hamas, which carried out a massive attack on Israeli towns in October last year.

The appointment of the ambassadors to the Netherlands and Uruguay as agents allows them to formally address the ICJ judges who are trying the Israeli State.

Petro’s appointment comes hours after South Africa asked the world court to impose provisional measures on Israel to prevent mass death caused by famine in Gaza.

The United Nations warned that one quarter of the 2.2 million inhabitants of the Gaza strip are one step away from famine.

In February, the court dismissed a South African request to impose measures to prevent a ground invasion of Rafah, where some 1.5 million internally displaced persons are believed to be sheltering.

Weeks before this ruling, the ICJ ruled that the South African representatives had presented enough evidence to plausibly charge genocide.

Petro, a fierce critic of Netanyahu, vowed to support the genocide charges in December already.

The president previously recalled his ambassador in Tel Aviv and suspended arms imports from Israel, which has been a major supplier of the Colombian military.

Related posts

Colombia’s police raid 11 prisons in attempt to curb extortion

Colombia to impose visas requirements on British citizens

Colombia seeks to ban recruitment of mercenaries