International Court of Justice

Why ICC going after Smotrich is a bigger deal than going after Netanyahu - analysis

Without major changes in Israeli policy, the arrest warrant against Smotrich could be Israel's darkest legal hour, with cascading consequences the likes of which cannot be foreseen.

|ByYONAH JEREMY BOB
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich holds a press conference at the Finance Ministry in Jerusalem, May 19, 2026.
The United Nations headquarters before a meeting on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty at the UN, in New York City, US, April 27, 2026.

UN backs world court climate opinion, Israel, US among few to oppose

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the vote, in which 28 countries abstained, underscored that governments are responsible for protecting citizens from the "escalating climate crisis."

|ByREUTERS
A general view of the court on the day the International Court of Justice is due to rule on a request by Nicaragua to order Germany to stop exporting weapons to Israel and to reverse its decision to stop funding UNRWA, the Hague, Netherlands, April 23, 2024.

Germany pulls support for Israel in ICJ genocide case, battling accusations of aiding Israel

“We are now ourselves part of a contentious case before the ICJ and have therefore decided not to make use of this option,” said foreign ministry spokesperson Josef Hinterseher.

|BySHIRA LI BARTOV/JTA
A view from the public hearing at the International Court of Justice case on Israel's humanitarian obligations to Palestinians in Gaza, the Hague, Netherlands, April 29, 2025.

US formally defends Israel in International Court of Justice genocide case

The US said in a formal filing that the claim of genocide was “false” and part of a broader campaign “to delegitimize the State of Israel and the Jewish people and to justify or encourage terrorism."

|BySHIRA LI BARTOV/JTA

Sen. Elizabeth Warren on ICJ case against Israel: 'I believe that they’ll find that it is genocide'

On Monday, a spokesperson from Warren's office said the senator commented on the legal process and did not share her views on the question of genocide. 

APRIL 9, 2024ByHANNAH SARISOHN
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) speaks alongside Senate Democrats during a press conference addressing a new policy that demands recipients of foreign military aid to follow international humanitarian law at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., February 9, 2024.

Nicaragua seeks to halt German arms exports to Israel at World Court

Nicaragua's agent ambassador Carlos Jose Arguello Gomez told the court Berlin had violated the 1948 Genocide Convention by continuing to supply Israel with arms.

APRIL 8, 2024ByREUTERS
International Court of Justice (ICJ) holds a hearing to allow parties to give their views on the legal consequences of Israel's 'occupation' of the Palestinian territories before eventually issuing a non-binding legal opinion in The Hague, Netherlands, February 19, 2024.

ICJ Judge Salam should be sanctioned, members of Congress write to Blinken

The letter was signed by Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX), Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA), Rep. Josh Gotteimer (D-NJ), Rep. Keith Self (R-TX), and others.

MARCH 29, 2024ByHANNAH SARISOHN
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken address the media at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, in January. It's incumbent upon Israel to avoid any further deterioration in the relationship with the US, the writer maintains.

World Court unanimously orders Israel to ensure Gaza humanitarian aid

The International Court of Justice orders Israel to ensure Gaza aid amid dire conditions, responding to South Africa's genocide accusations.

MARCH 28, 2024ByREUTERS, HANNAH SARISOHN, EVE YOUNG
World Court rules on Gaza emergency measures in Israel genocide case, in The Hague

Ireland to intervene in South Africa genocide case against Israel

The nation's foreign minister did not say what form the intervention would take or outline any argument or proposal Ireland plans to put forward.

MARCH 27, 2024ByREUTERS
THE IRISH flag atop the historic post office in Dublin.

Kosovo isn’t Gaza, and Gaza isn’t Kosovo - comment

War crimes. Genocide. Crimes against humanity. These terms have been repeated so regularly over the past six months concerning Israel’s war against Hamas that they have begun to lose their meaning.

MARCH 25, 2024ByALEX WINSTON
Palestinians at the site of an Israeli air strike in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on March 24, 2024.

Is Israel ready for the next legal war crimes tidal wave? - analysis

Israel is facing the most daunting and critical period in decades as IDF lawyers are trying to balance both global and domestic pressures.

MARCH 18, 2024ByYONAH JEREMY BOB
Public hearing held by ICJ to allow parties to give their views on the legal consequences of Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories before eventually issuing a non-binding legal opinion in The Hague, Netherlands, February 21, 2024.

Israel says South Africa exploiting World Court on behalf of Hamas

A South African government spokesperson dismissed the accusation.

MARCH 7, 2024ByREUTERS
A boy holds a Palestinian flag during a demonstration to express support for the people of Palestine, in Cape Town, South Africa, October 9, 2023.

South Africa asks ICJ to up action on genocide claim due to Gaza hunger

“Palestinian children are starving to death as the direct result of the deliberate acts and omissions of Israel,” South Africa said in its statement to the court.

MARCH 6, 2024ByTOVAH LAZAROFF, HANNAH SARISOHN
Judges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) rule on emergency measures against Israel following accusations by South Africa that the Israeli military operation in Gaza is a state-led genocide, in The Hague, Netherlands, January 26, 2024.

Nicaragua files case at World Court against Germany for aiding Israel

Nicaragua asked the ICJ, also known as the World Court, to issue emergency measures requiring Berlin to stop its military aid to Israel.

MARCH 1, 2024ByREUTERS
WHILE MANY view the ICJ as an independent judicial body, it is inherently political. Its judges are elected by the UN General Assembly and Security Council, bodies notorious for anti-Israel bias, the writer says.