Aharon Barak, the former Chief Justice of Israel’s Supreme Court, has resigned from his position as an ad hoc judge on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) panel addressing genocide charges against Israel. This announcement was made in a letter circulated on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday. Barak cited personal and family reasons for his decision to step down from the role.
Appointed to the 15-judge panel by the United Nations’ top court, Barak had been involved in considering South Africa’s charges of genocide. He notably voted against the ICJ’s order to halt Israel’s military operations in Rafah, maintaining that the ICJ did not mandate such a cessation. In his dissenting opinion, Barak argued that South Africa’s request was rejected due to the “specific, credible and up-to-date evidence provided by Israel,” effectively presented by its legal team during the hearings.
According to Barak’s dissent, the court’s measure to halt offensive military action in Rafah was designed to protect the Palestinian group in Gaza from conditions that could lead to their physical destruction, without compromising Israel’s right to defend itself and its citizens. The measure was thus limited to specific offensive actions, preserving Israel’s capability to respond to threats and free hostages.
Following the announcement, Israeli President Isaac Herzog publicly thanked Barak for his service, acknowledging his significant contributions to both Israeli and international law. Herzog underscored Israel’s intent to continue defending itself against accusations at the ICJ.
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