The International Court of Justice (ICJ) will consider a case brought by South Africa against Israel on charges of genocide during the war in Gaza, according to ICJ rules. Both Israel and South Africa have nominated judges to represent their respective countries in the case. Israel has selected Aharon Barak, the former chief justice of the country’s Supreme Court, while South Africa has chosen Judge Dikgang Moseneke, the former deputy chief justice of its Supreme Court. Additionally, British lawyer Malcolm Shaw, an expert in international law, will defend Israel at the ICJ. On the other side, international law professor John Dugard, who served as a human rights rapporteur for the United Nations, will represent South Africa.
The ICJ has recently elected Joan Donoghue, a US lawyer and legal scholar, as its president for 2021. Donoghue is the third woman elected to the ICJ and the first American woman to serve as its president. She has previously served as an advisor to former US President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on matters of international law. Judge Kirill Gevorgyan, who has been a member of the ICJ since 2015, is now serving as the court’s vice president. He previously held the position of legal officer for Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The article also highlights other judges at the ICJ. Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, a former president of the court from 2018 to 2021, has been reelected to serve another term. Judge Julia Sebutinde, born in Uganda in 1954, has been a member of the court since 2012, and Judge Patrick Lipton Robinson, from Jamaica, has been a member since 2015. Judge Peter Tomka, from Slovakia, was appointed as an ambassador to the United Nations in 1994. The court also includes Judge Ronnie Abraham, who served as president from 2015 to 2018, Judge Mohamed Bennouna, who was the permanent representative of Morocco to the United Nations from 1998 to 2001, and Judge Xue Hanqin, who has been the vice president of the court since 2018. Other judges mentioned in the article include Justice Dalveer Bhandari, Judge Yūji Iwasawa, Judge Nawaf Salam, Judge Hilary Charlesworth, Judge Georg Nolte, and Judge Leonardo Nemer Caldeira Brant.
In conclusion, the ICJ will consider the South Africa case against Israel for the alleged genocide during the Gaza war. The court is composed of judges from various countries, including Israel and South Africa. The newly elected president, Joan Donoghue, is the first American woman to hold this position. The judges will play a crucial role in the proceedings and it will be interesting to see how the case unfolds at the ICJ.