Document:Dikgang Moseneke to join bench of judges in Israel-Hamas world court case
| Should presiding American Judge Joan Donoghue recuse herself when it comes to determining whether US staunch ally Israel has committed genocide in Gaza? |
Article by Kgaugelo Masweneng dated 5 January 2024Subjects: Dikgang Moseneke, International Court of Justice, Israel, Genocide Convention, South Africa, 2023-2024 Israel-Hamas War, Dire Tladi
Source: TimesLive (Link)
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Dikgang Moseneke to join bench of judges in Israel-Hamas world court case
Former Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke will join the bench of Judges that will hear the case of crimes against humanity brought by South Africa to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The court is to hear the case next week. The application concerns alleged violations by Israel of its obligations under the Genocide Convention.
The international relations and co-operation department said South Africa is “gravely concerned with the plight of civilians caught in the present Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip due to the indiscriminate use of force and forcible removal of inhabitants”.
“South Africa has approached Judge Dikgang Moseneke, who has agreed to join the other ICJ Judges on the bench on an ad hoc basis and hear our case against Israel,” said spokesperson Clayson Monyela.
“Under article 31, paragraphs 2 and 3, of the Statute of the International Court of Justice, a state party (South Africa) to a case before the ICJ which does not have a Judge of its nationality on the bench may choose a person to sit as Judge ad hoc in that specific case,” said Monyela.
The ICJ comprises 15 judges elected by the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council for a nine-year term. Located at the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands, the World Court plays an important role in settling legal disputes between states and offering advisory opinions on international legal matters.
University of Pretoria professor of international law and Future Africa research chair in global equity in Africa Dire Tladi was in November appointed as a Judge of the ICJ, becoming the first South African to do so.
Dire Tladi starts his tenure as an ICJ Judge in February 2024.
