The governments of Mexico and Chile asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to “investigate the probable commission of crimes within its jurisdiction” in Palestine in light of the armed conflict in the Gaza Strip.
The letter comes a week after South Africa accused Israel of genocide against the Palestinian people before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and called for an emergency suspension of the military campaign in Gaza.
“The Government of Mexico is aware of and is promptly following up on the case presented by South Africa before the International Court of Justice and the request for provisional measures,” the Mexican Foreign Ministry announced without mentioning Israel.
Mexico and Chile announced their request to investigate possible crimes committed in Gaza, a measure announced by the Chilean government on January 11, which is different from the genocide lawsuit filed by South Africa.
“The action by Mexico and Chile is due to growing concern about the latest escalation of violence, particularly against civilian targets, and the alleged continued commission of crimes under the jurisdiction of the Court,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE). ).
The SRE highlighted the “importance of guaranteeing the independence of the ICC prosecutor” to investigate crimes committed in the context of the conflict in Gaza that “have been committed by agents of the occupying power, as well as the occupied power.”
The Mexican government warned of the “practically total collapse” of Palestine’s justice infrastructure, making it impossible for them to investigate crimes committed in their territory.
“The intervention of the ICC takes on particular relevance given the numerous United Nations reports that report on very numerous incidents that may constitute crimes within the jurisdiction of the ICC by the Rome Statute.”
In its letter, the Mexican Foreign Ministry said it was confident that with the intervention of the ICC “spaces for an immediate ceasefire” could be opened and “pave the way for lasting peace in the region based on the two-state solution.”. On several occasions, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has insisted on Mexico’s “neutrality” in the face of the conflict that broke out on October 7, 2023, when the Islamic movement group Hamas attacked Israeli civilians in Gaza.
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