Dikgang Moseneke to join ICJ bench of judges in SA Gaza genocide case against Israel

As South Africa prepares to argue its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague next week, former deputy chief justice Dikgang Moseneke is set to join the bench of judges to preside over the matter.

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) on Friday announced that it approached Moseneke to join the bench of 15 permanent judges in an ad hoc capacity.

South Africa currently does not have permanent representation on the bench of the ICJ.

In a significant development last week, South Africa filed an urgent case against Israel at the ICJ accusing the state of crimes of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

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SA judge to hear the case

Dirco’s Head of Diplomacy Clayson Monyela said Article 31, paragraphs 2 and 3, of the Statute of the International Court of Justice, permits a state which has a case before it but which is not represented on the bench by a person of its nationality to choose a jurist to sit in an ad hoc capacity in that specific case.

“SA has approached Justice Dikgang Moseneke, who has agreed to join the other ICJ judges on the bench and hear our case against Israel. Professor Dire Tladi starts his tenure as an ICJ judge in February.”

The ICJ sometimes known as the World Court, is the United Nations’ (UN) venue for resolving disputes between states.

It is composed of 15 judges, who are elected for terms of office of nine years by the UN General Assembly and the Security Council.

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The ICJ said South Africa’s application is set to be heard in the Hague next Thursday and Friday.

South Africa’s legal team for its case to the ICJ includes: John Dugard, Max du Plessis, Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, Adila Hassim, Sarah Pudifin-Jones, Lerato Zikalala and Tshidiso Ramogale among others.

Support and condemnation

Meanwhile, Türkiye is the latest country, after Malaysia and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), to give its support to South Africa’s genocide case against Israel.

The SA Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) labelling the case a publicity stunt lacking in credibility and understanding.

The death toll in Gaza has soared to over 22,400 people, about 70% of them women and children, while 57,614 have been injured according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Since October 2023, more than 100 journalists have also been killed, injured, or remain missing in Gaza and southern Lebanon, according to Palestinian authorities. Rights groups have called the number of journalists killed in Israel’s war on Gaza “unparalleled” in modern history.

ALSO READ: Türkiye, Malaysia, OIC back SA’s Gaza genocide case against Israel