Statement by the Government of Maldives welcoming the application by the Republic of South Africa before the International Court of Justice

The Government of Maldives welcomes the application filed by South Africa at the International Court of Justice on 29 December 2023, requesting to declare that Israel is in breach of the 1948 “Convention of the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.”

The ongoing attacks by the Israeli military have claimed the lives of thousands of innocent Palestinian civilians, especially women and children. The Government considers these deliberate acts of aggression against the innocent civilian population of Palestine a blatant disregard for and violation of international humanitarian law, including the Convention on Genocide.

The Government reiterates its call for an immediate ceasefire and to open humanitarian corridors for the delivery of assistance to the people of Palestine.

The Maldives calls for the Court to expedite its response, in order to facilitate urgent action against all acts and measures that are in breach of the international human rights and international humanitarian law.

The Maldives believes that a just and lasting solution in the Middle East can only be achieved through a two-state solution through the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian State with pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Maldives.