Aharon Barak, a former president of Israel’s Supreme Court, has resigned from his role as ad hoc judge on an International Court of Justice (ICJ) panel weighing a genocide allegation filed over the country’s military campaign in Gaza, officials said, Reuters reports.

In a resignation letter dated June 4 and republished by Israeli media, the 87-year-old Barak cited unspecified personal and family reasons for his decision.

Under the ICJ’s rules, a state that does not have a judge of its nationality already on the bench can choose an ad hoc judge to sit in their case. It was not immediately clear who Israel might appoint to replace Barak.

In a statement thanking Barak for his service at the Hague, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said, “We will continue to stand steadfast against the evil, hypocrisy and libels cast against the State of Israel and IDF (Israel Defence Forces).”

Editorial

Updated 01 Aug, 2026

Maritime alliance

AS the US-Iran war drags on, new battle lines are being drawn. The pro-US Gulf Arab monarchies and Iran have enjoyed...
01 Aug, 2026

Local governance

INTERIOR Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s speech at a business summit on Thursday has stirred a hornet’s nest. His...
01 Aug, 2026

Murders in Balochistan

GOOD news is scarce in Balochistan. Seven labourers were abducted and gunned down in Turbat city recently. Four...
31 Jul, 2026

Expanding conflict

WITH neither of the belligerents willing to back down, and the theatre of conflict expanding geographically, the...
31 Jul, 2026

Spoils and spats

A FIGHT over assembly seats in Azad Jammu and Kashmir has laid bare what seem to be some deep resentments between ...
31 Jul, 2026

Unfair tax system

THE disclosure that the FBR collected nearly Rs1.9tr in sales and income taxes through electricity bills over the...