Yedioth Ahronoth: Israel’s representative in International Justice resigns from his post

Judge Aharon Barak announced on Wednesday evening his resignation from his post representing Israel at the International Court of Justice for personal and family reasons.

According to Yedioth Ahronoth, Barak had informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he had resigned from the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

In his letter to Netanyahu, Barak said, “I announce my resignation for personal and family reasons… Thank you for trusting me”.

“Now the state will have to decide whether to choose another judge replacing Barak,” according to Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.

Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper quoted unnamed Israeli legal sources as saying that “it’s not at all certain that another judge of the court in The Hague will be chosen as Israel’s representative”.

If Israel chooses another judge, it said, the potential candidates for the post are former Supreme Court presidents (Israel’s highest judicial authority) Dorit Benisch and Esther Hayut, and former vice-president of the same court, Eliakim Rubinstein, for being involved in international law.

On May 24, the International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled by a majority of 13 to two (including Israel’s representative Barak) that Israel should withdraw from Rafah and cease its military activities there, at the request of South Africa.

Barak is an Israeli jurist who previously served as legal adviser to the Israeli government (1975–1978) and as president of Israel’s Supreme Court (1995–2006).

In January, Israel appointed Barak as its own delegated judge of the International Court of Justice.

According to the ICC rules, any country that files a complaint or lodges a complaint against it can include a judge before it, to the 15 permanent judges of the court.