Mexico seeks to join South Africa's genocide case against Israel at world court

Mexico has formally requested to intervene in the case filed by South Africa accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) announced Tuesday

"Mexico, invoking Article 63 of the Statute of the Court, filed in the Registry of the Court a declaration of intervention in the case concerning 'Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip' (South Africa v. Israel)," said the ICJ in a statement. Article 63 entitles any state party to a convention to participate in it, which is the case with Mexico.

In its petition, Mexico argues that "genocidal intent" encompasses mass killings and the pervasive destruction of culture, which could be understood as "cultural cleansing" and “cultural warfare,” and a "clear conduct intended to severely harm the targeted group as a part of a policy aimed at the eradication of said culture."

It added that the “deliberate obstruction of access to humanitarian assistance” and “destruction of cultural heritage” should also be considered in the case.

“Mexico upholds the position that denial of access to humanitarian aid, to the extent that it creates conditions of life calculated to cause serious bodily and mental harm to members of a group, as well as to bring about its partial or total physical destruction, must be examined in light of Article II of the Convention on against Genocide,” it said.

“It is Mexico's position that the massive destruction of cultural property and the eradication of any cultural symbol related to a group can be construed as acts aimed to accomplish the severe harming of a group, diminishing or even destroying the connection between culture and the self-determination and identity of a population in terms of Article II(b) of the Convention,” it added.

According to the ICJ, Mexico extended its request on May 24 after the court demanded that Israel halt its attacks on the southern Gaza city of Rafah because of the imminent danger of committing genocide.

The court ordered Israel to immediately halt its military offensive against Rafah or any other actions that could bring about the "physical destruction in whole or in part" of the Palestinian people.

Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7 last year, the Mexican government has navigated a line of non-interference and maintained a neutral stance towards the attacks perpetrated by Israel against the Palestinian people. Recently, following the death of Mexican national Orion Hernandez, who was abducted by the Palestinian group Hamas last October, the Mexican government labeled the group a terrorist organization while demanding a cease-fire and a peaceful resolution to the conflict.