UN Elects Five New ICJ Judges as Israel Raises Impartiality Concerns

The UN General Assembly and Security Council have elected five new judges to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, with their nine-year terms set to run from 2027 to 2036. The newly elected judges are Dapo Akande of the United Kingdom, François Alabrune of France, Mahmoud Daifallah Hmoud of Jordan, Phoebe Okowa of Kenya, and Rena Lee of Singapore.

The election drew criticism from Israel's Permanent Representative to the UN, Danny Danon, who expressed serious concerns regarding the background of several selected jurists. Danon questioned whether judges who have previously taken active legal or political stances against Israel can ensure impartial proceedings.

Mahmoud Daifallah Hmoud has served as an ICJ judge since May 2025 and previously acted as Jordan's ambassador to the UN and legal adviser to the Jordanian Foreign Ministry. During his diplomatic and legal career, Hmoud led Jordan's adversarial positions in proceedings before The Hague, including advisory opinions concerning the West Bank. Following the October 7 attacks in 2023, Hmoud publicly accused Israel of war crimes and ethnic cleansing during a UN Security Council session.

Dapo Akande is a professor of public international law at the University of Oxford and a member of the UN International Law Commission. He has advised various governments in international legal proceedings, including acting as a legal adviser to Japan in matters related to Israeli policies in the West Bank. François Alabrune, serving as France's ambassador to the Netherlands, previously functioned as the French Foreign Ministry's legal adviser, representing Paris in genocide convention proceedings involving Ukraine and Russia as well as Gambia and Myanmar. Rena Lee serves as Singapore's ambassador for international law, having notably chaired the UN intergovernmental conference on marine biodiversity. Phoebe Okowa, a law professor at Queen Mary University of London and an existing ICJ judge since November 2025, previously advised Namibia in legal proceedings concerning Israeli policies in the West Bank.

Ambassador Danny Danon sharply criticized the appointments, stating that the CVs of certain judges raise profound questions about their ability to deliver unbiased justice. He emphasized that electing jurists with documented adversarial track records against Israel highlights the systemic bias within United Nations bodies.

The International Court of Justice, headquartered in The Hague, is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. It adjudicates legal disputes between states and issues advisory opinions on international legal questions. The tribunal comprises 15 judges elected for staggered nine-year terms by the UN General Assembly and Security Council. Legal proceedings initiated against Israel by South Africa in December 2023 regarding alleged violations of the Genocide Convention remain ongoing.