On 29 December 2023, South Africa accused Israel, before the ICJ, of breaching the Genocide Convention of 1948.
The subsequent hearing, a couple of weeks later, drew huge attention as Israel’s war was formally challenged on the world stage for the first time since the start of the genocidal war.
For cases of such complexity, the ICJ often takes years to come to a judgement. ICJ experts have previously explained that the judgment is expected to be made by early 2028.
The ICC has a total of 18 judges who serve in different chambers, including the Pre-Trial, Trial and Appeals chambers.
Judges are nominated by state parties to the Rome Statute, the ICC’s founding treaty, and then elected by the Assembly of States Parties, the court‘s governing body.
Judges must demonstrate high moral character, impartiality and integrity, meeting the qualifications required in their home countries for appointment to the highest judicial offices.
Once elected, ICC judges serve a non-renewable nine-year term.
Below are the profiles of the four judges sanctioned by the Trump administration on 5 June 2025.
The State Department said that Ms. Bossa and Ms. Ibáñez Carranza had ruled to authorize the court’s investigation against U.S. personnel in Afghanistan. While they participated in an appeals decision that opened the way for that investigation, the court’s pursuit of the American role in Afghanistan was eventually dropped. Mr. Khan announced soon after taking office in 2021 that he would not pursue accusations of torture carried out by U.S. military and C.I.A. personnel in Afghanistan and at so-called black sites in other countries. No formal investigations of specific U.S. personnel have taken place, nor have warrants been issued.
Initiiert worden war die Erklärung von Slowenien, Luxemburg, Mexiko, Sierra Leone und Vanuatu. Zu den Unterzeichnern gehören neben Deutschland und Frankreich auch Großbritannien, Südafrika, die Palästinenser, Kanada, Chile und Panama. Auch Österreich ist darunter, wie das Außenministerium mitteilte.
Seventy-eight nations have issued a joint statement reaffirming their support for the International Criminal Court (ICC) after the Trump administration imposed sanctions against the court and its officials.
The US government imposed the sanctions after the ICC issued an arrest warrant last year for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged war crimes in Gaza. The US and Israel are not members of the court and do not recognise its authority.
The ICC condemns the issuance by the US of an Executive Order seeking to impose sanctions on its officials and harm its independent and impartial judicial work. The Court stands firmly by its personnel and pledges to continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities across the world, in all Situations before it. We call on our 125 States Parties, civil society and all nations of the world to stand united for justice and fundamental human rights.
“At an historic moment when we are witnessing a genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, and the global rule of law coming under threat from multiple fronts, institutions like the Court are needed more than ever to advance human rights protections, prevent future atrocities and secure justice for victims. (…)
“Governments around the world and regional organizations must do everything in their power to mitigate and block the effect of President Trump’s sanctions. Through collective and concerted actions, ICC member states can protect the Court and its staff. Urgent action is needed, like never before.”
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday authorized economic and travel sanctions targeting people who work on International Criminal Court investigations of U.S. citizens or U.S. allies such as Israel, repeating action he took during his first term.
In July, a 15-judge panel found that Israel‘s decades-long occupation of the Palestinian territories was „unlawful“ and that its „near-complete separation“ of people in the occupied West Bank breached international laws concerning „racial segregation“ and „apartheid“.
While most judges agreed with the advisory opinion, Sebutinde rejected the findings.
When contacted by MEE for a response, Sebutinde declined to comment on the plagiarism allegations.
(August 24, 2024)
The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, stressed that the court has jurisdiction to investigate Israelis, urging judges to decide on arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Security Minister Yoav Gallant, which he had requested months ago.
Nationality: Mexico (Latin American and Caribbean States)
Term: 11 March 2021 – 10 March 2030
Assumed full-time duty: 1 May 2021
Elected from: List B on 23 December 2020
Assigned to: Pre-Trial Division
Second Vice-President
Nationality: Benin (African States)
Term: 11 March 2018 – 10 March 2027
Assumed full-time duty: 11 June 2018
Elected from: List B on 8 December 2017
Assigned to: Pre-Trial Division
Nationality: Romania (Eastern Europe)
Term: 11 March 2024 – 10 March 2033
Elected from: List B on 4 December 2023
Assigned to: Pre-Trial Division
(today)
In filing to court, Karim Khan expresses frustration with court‘s delay in issuing warrants, urging swift action ahead of Netanyahu‘s scheduled speech at UN General Assembly later in September
(September 9, 2024)
The Court has yet to issue any warrants.
(…)
Four States Parties argued that the Court lacks or may not exercise jurisdiction over Israeli nationals who commit international crimes in Gaza: Argentina, Congo, Czechia, and Hungary. They were joined by the United States, which is not a State Party
(September 5, 2024)
“You cannot allow an attack on the court,” Khan said. “Then you have no rules-based system.”*
https://aje.io/7u2xai?update=3158140
* Which is exactly what Russia Israel & US want; hence the „Hague Invasion Act“
#US #Russia #Israel #ICC ..
(August 24, 2024)
The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, stressed that the court has jurisdiction to investigate Israelis, urging judges to decide on arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Security Minister Yoav Gallant, which he had requested months ago.
(June 27, 2024)
The International Criminal Court Pre-Trial Tribunal on Thursday postponed its decision-making process about whether it will allow ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan to issue arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes.
The postponement came following a June 10 application by England to file a “friend of the court” brief against the ICC’s jurisdiction over the issue.
Nationality: Mexico (Latin American and Caribbean States)
Term: 11 March 2021 – 10 March 2030
Assumed full-time duty: 1 May 2021
Elected from: List B on 23 December 2020
Assigned to: Pre-Trial Division
Nationality: Romania (Eastern Europe)
Term: 11 March 2024 – 10 March 2033
Elected from: List B on 4 December 2023
Assigned to: Pre-Trial Division
Second Vice-President
Nationality: Benin (African States)
Term: 11 March 2018 – 10 March 2027
Assumed full-time duty: 11 June 2018
Elected from: List B on 8 December 2017
Assigned to: Pre-Trial Division
Justice Ministry officials expect the International Criminal Court to decide in the coming days on whether to issue arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, but are cautiously optimistic that the court will decide against the warrants.