On January 11 and 12, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) based in The Hague, Netherlands, considered a lawsuit filed by South Africa accusing Israel of committing genocide during the ongoing war in Gaza since October 7, 2023.
As the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, established in 1945, the ICJ is vested with broad jurisdiction to handle all cases referred to it by the parties concerned, as well as specific matters outlined in the UN Charter and in force treaties and agreements.
The Court is anticipated to issue a ruling within this month on a possible provisional order instructing Israel to cease its military actions. However, the adjudication of the genocide allegations may take years to reach a conclusion due to the complexity of the matter.
The attached infographic sheds light on the judges of the ICJ, which consists of 15 judges led by American Joan E. Donoghue (the President of the Court) and Russian Kirill Gevorgian (the Vice-President). Notably, the terms of both these judges are set to expire in the coming month.
The court also includes three Arab judges: Mohamed Bennouna from Morocco, Nawaf Salam from Lebanon, and Abdulqawi Yusuf from Somalia.
