Danon questions ICJ impartiality after election of judges with anti-Israel records

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon on Wednesday criticized the election of five judges to the International Court of Justice, saying two of them had previously taken positions against the Jewish state.

Danon wrote on X that the selection of such judges “casts a heavy shadow on the court’s ability to adjudicate our matter without bias.” He called the election another example of the U.N.'s “structural bias” against Israel.

Jordanian Judge Mahmoud Daifallah Hmoud accused Israel of war crimes and ethnic cleansing at the U.N. in October 2023, less than a month after the Hamas-led Oct. 7 massacre.

Kenyan judge Phoebe Okowa represented Namibia in the ICJ’s 2024 advisory proceedings on Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians.

The ICJ is hearing South Africa’s case accusing Israel of “genocide” in Gaza. It has yet to issue a final ruling.