The hard-left party in Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s coalition government has backed South Africa’s “genocide” case against Israel at the UN’s top court, calling it a “necessary step”, AFP reports.

“South Africa’s lawsuit against Israel is a necessary step to prevent genocide. It is urgent and necessary for the International Court of Justice to order precautionary measures to achieve a permanent ceasefire,” the Sumar party wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

In a separate message on X, Spain’s social rights minister, Pablo Bustinduy who also belongs to Sumar, called South Africa’s lawsuit “a historic gesture, brave and necessary”.