The Hague: The International Court of Justice announced last night that Cuba had filed with the court's registry, based on Article 63 of the court's statute, a declaration of intervention in the case concerning the application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip, known as South Africa v. Israel.
According to Palestine News and Information Agency - WAFA, Article 63 of the court's statute allows states that are parties to a convention, and are not directly involved in a case, to intervene if there is doubt about the interpretation of that convention. This grants them the right to be part of the proceedings, and the court's interpretation becomes binding on them.
The court explained that "in availing itself of the right of intervention granted by Article 63, Cuba relies on its status as a party to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide of 9 December 1948," noting that Cuba "will, in its declaration, give its interpretation of Articles I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VIII and IX of the Convention."
According to Article 83 of the court's rules, South Africa and Israel were invited to submit written observations on the Cuban declaration of intervention.
On December 29, 2023, South Africa filed a lawsuit against Israel on charges of genocide, and several countries joined the case, including Nicaragua, Colombia, Libya, Mexico, Palestine, Spain, Turkey, and Ireland.