Ireland has joined South Africa's case against Israel, the International Court of Justice has confirmed.
The case concerns breaches of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in Gaza.
In December, Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin secured Government approval for Ireland to intervene in two cases currently before the ICJ, that of South Africa against Israel and The Gambia versus Myanmar.
Mr Martin proposed to intervene to promote a consistent interpretation of the Genocide Convention which prioritises the protection of civilian life, and to demonstrate Ireland's strong commitment to the rule of law and international justice.
He said that by seeking that Ireland intervene in the case taken by South Africa, fundamentally, it is asking the court to broaden its interpretation of genocide within the Genocide Convention.
Yesterday, the ICJ said in a statement that Ireland had filed a declaration of intervention concerning the South Africa case against Israel.
By filing a declaration of intervention, Ireland is not joining either side in the case.
Last month, Israel announced it would close its embassy in Dublin in light of what its foreign minister called "the extreme anti-Israel policies of the Irish government".
Taoiseach Simon Harris described the move as a "deeply regrettable decision" adding that he utterly rejected the assertion that Ireland is anti-Israel.
