International Court of Justice

Rule Changes

Issued 2024 advisory opinion finding occupation unlawful

Britain announced on September 8 that it would ban imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and build a sanctions regime against settlement activity over six to nine months. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband told Parliament that settler groups were carrying out ethnic cleansing of Palestinians with Israel's government turning a blind eye. Israel ordered the British consulate in East Jerusalem closed and banned 11 UK MPs.

Updated Yesterday

Rule Changes

Five new judges are due to start terms on February 6, 2027, amid a record caseload.

The United Nations elected five judges to the International Court of Justice on November 3, filling a third of the 15-member bench for nine-year terms that begin February 6, 2027. Four won in the first round; Kenya's Phoebe Okowa took the fifth after multiple ballots and a withdrawal, finishing with 183 General Assembly votes and 13 in the Security Council.

Updated 3 days ago

Rule Changes

Court where Pillay serves; hearing a genocide case against Myanmar

The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2026 Peace Prize to Navanethem "Navi" Pillay, an 85-year-old South African jurist who defended Nelson Mandela under apartheid and later judged war crimes at international tribunals. The committee called her "one of the great defenders of international legal principles in our time."

Updated Oct 19

Force in Play

As of May 2026: Adjudicating South Africa's genocide case against Israel

South Africa and Israel have expelled each other's top diplomats, leaving neither country with a senior representative in the other. On January 30, 2026, South Africa declared Israeli chargé d'affaires Ariel Seidman persona non grata for using embassy social media to insult President Cyril Ramaphosa. Hours later, Israel reciprocated by expelling South Africa's chargé d'affaires Shaun Byneveldt. Both were ordered to leave within 72 hours.

Updated May 26

Rule Changes

As of May 2026: Hearing merits of genocide case

The Gambia—population 2.5 million, no direct ties to Myanmar—is prosecuting a genocide case. On January 12, 2026, the International Court of Justice opened three weeks of hearings on whether Myanmar's military deliberately tried to destroy the Rohingya people.

Updated May 20

Force in Play

As of May 2026: Previously ruled on Preah Vihear, jurisdiction contested

A Cambodian soldier died in a border firefight on May 28, and within two months, the countries were exchanging artillery fire and airstrikes across a dozen locations. Three ceasefires—brokered by Malaysia, pressured by Trump, and witnessed by ASEAN—have left over 100 dead and a million displaced, yet the December 27 truce may fail like the others.

Updated May 16

Rule Changes

As of May 2026: Issued landmark advisory opinion on illegality of prolonged occupation and settlements

Israel's cabinet quietly signed off on 19 additional Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, then kept it classified for days. Some are brand-new recognitions; others are outposts that were illegal even under Israeli rules, now getting a state stamp.

Updated May 15