Chile’s President Gabriel Boric announced on June 1 that Chile would join the lawsuit South Africa v. Israel at the UN’s International Court of Justice. He called the situation in Gaza a “humanitarian disaster” that has claimed more than 35,000 civilian victims. He accused the Israeli army of using “indiscriminate and disproportional” force against innocent Palestinian civilians. “These acts demand a firm and permanent response of the international community. Therefore, in addition to shipping humanitarian aid to Palestine, the recalling of our envoy to Israel and the joint lawsuit to the International Criminal Court with Mexico, I decided that Chile will join the lawsuit that South Africa filed against Israel in the UN International Court of Justice,” he said, addressing the parliament.
Chile, which has the largest Palestinian population in Ibero America, is the third Ibero American country, after Nicaragua and Colombia, to approach the ICJ. Libya has also formally applied to intervene in the case. Mexico, Brazil, and Indonesia have rallied behind South Africa’s petition as well. In January, Responsible Statecraft detailed the Global South countries charging Israeli and U.S. war crimes against Palestine.
