Turkey plans to submit a request next Wednesday to formally join South Africa’s genocide lawsuit against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced on Monday during a joint press conference in Cairo with Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty.
Fidan attributed the heightened regional tensions to Israel’s recent actions in Gaza, condemning the “brutality” and emphasising the threat Israel poses to regional stability. His comments underscored Turkey’s firm stance on the Palestinian issue and its commitment to seeking justice for Palestinians through international legal avenues.
Earlier in the day, Fidan had a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi to discuss the latest regional developments and the risks of escalating conflicts. Both leaders criticised Israel’s policies and reiterated the urgent need for a comprehensive resolution to the Palestinian issue, advocating for a two-state solution as the path to enduring peace and stability.
Despite Turkey’s vocal opposition to Israel’s actions in Gaza, a recent report by exiled Turkish journalist Metin Cihan exposed that Turkey continues to supply oil to Israel through the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, sourced from Azerbaijan’s Caspian fields. This revelation has raised questions about the consistency of Turkey’s policies towards Israel.
Cihan’s findings indicate that oil flows from the Azerbaijani port of Baku to the Turkish port of Ceyhan via a BP-operated pipeline and is then transported by sea to the Israeli port of Haifa. This has highlighted a significant contradiction in Turkey’s stance, where support for the Palestinian cause coexists with economic ties to Israel.
Furthermore, an investigation by the Rise Up For Rojava Network unveiled hidden trade relations between Israel and Turkey, despite Turkey’s declared trade ban with Israeli entities. The report, titled “Turkey’s Deception: Ankara’s Role in the Palestinian Genocide,” published in late May, exposes Turkey’s historical and ongoing trade relations with Israel and its simultaneous support for Hamas.
Additionally, Turkey’s July 2024 export data suggests an effort to obscure trade relations with Israel by declaring exports as being to Palestine, as reported by Uğur Zengin of the Turkish daily Evrensel on Saturday. According to the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TİM), while exports to Israel have reportedly dropped to zero, there has been an extraordinary 1180% increase in exports to Palestinian territory.
South Africa’s lawsuit against Israel at the ICJ, filed in December, accuses Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, where the conflict has resulted in nearly 40,000 deaths since October, according to local health officials. The ICJ has directed Israel to avoid actions that could violate the United Nations Genocide Convention and to prevent its military from committing genocidal acts against Palestinians.
South Africa’s case argues that Israel has breached the 1948 Genocide Convention, established to prevent atrocities akin to the Holocaust. While Israel and its Western allies dismiss these allegations as baseless, a final verdict from the ICJ could take several years.
To date, 13 countries have joined or expressed intent to join South Africa’s lawsuit against Israel. The ICJ allows states to intervene in such cases and present their perspectives, potentially influencing the outcome.
