The Court to deliver its Order on Friday 24 May 2024 at 3 p.m.

INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE
Peace Palace, Carnegieplein 2, 2517 KJ The Hague, Netherlands
Tel.: +31 (0)70 302 2323 Fax: +31 (0)70 364 9928
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Press Release
Unofficial
No. 2024/45
23 May 2024
Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel) Request for the modification and the indication of provisional measures The Court to deliver its Order on Friday 24 May 2024 at 3 p.m.
THE HAGUE, 23 May 2024. On Friday 24 May 2024, the International Court of Justice will deliver its Order on the request for the modification and the indication of provisional measures submitted by South Africa on 10 May 2024 in the case concerning Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (South Africa v. Israel). A public sitting will take place at 3 p.m. at the Peace Palace in The Hague, during which Judge Nawaf Salam, President of the Court, will read out the Court’s Order.
It is recalled that, on 29 December 2023, South Africa filed an Application instituting proceedings against Israel concerning alleged violations by Israel of its obligations under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (the “Genocide Convention”) in relation to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The Application also contained a request for the indication of provisional measures, pursuant to Article 41 of the Statute of the Court and Articles 73, 74 and 75 of the Rules of Court. The Applicant requested the Court to indicate provisional measures in order to “protect against further, severe and irreparable harm to the rights of the Palestinian people under the Genocide Convention” and “to ensure Israel’s compliance with its obligations under the Genocide Convention not to engage in genocide, and to prevent and to punish genocide” (see press release 2023/77).
On 26 January 2024, the Court delivered its Order on South Africa’s request.
On 16 February 2024, the Court took a decision, communicated to the Parties by a letter from the Registrar, on a request by South Africa for additional provisional measures dated 12 February 2024.
On 28 March 2024, the Court indicated additional provisional measures, following a further request from South Africa, dated 6 March 2024, for the indication of additional provisional measures and/or the modification of its Order of 26 January 2024.
On Thursday 16 and Friday 17 May 2024, the Court held public hearings on the request filed by South Africa on 10 May 2024 for the modification of provisional measures previously indicated by the Court and the indication of additional provisional measures.
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Earlier press releases relating to this case are available on the Court’s website.
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Members of the diplomatic corps, the public and the media will find below practical information regarding the organization of the sitting.
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A. Practical information and admission procedures
There will be no parking on the Peace Palace grounds.
1. Members of the diplomatic corps
Members of the diplomatic corps who wish to attend the sitting are kindly requested to fill out an online registration form by 4 p.m. (The Hague time) today. Seats in the Great Hall of Justice will be allocated on the basis of availability. On presenting confirmation of registration from the Information Department and valid diplomatic ID at the main gate of the Peace Palace on the day of the sitting, diplomats will be given a badge providing access to the Great Hall of Justice.
2. Members of the public
Only 15 seats will be available in the public gallery for members of the public, on a first-come first-served basis. There will be no advance registration procedure, and admission requests submitted beforehand will not be considered. Members of the public wishing to attend are requested to present themselves at the main gate of the Peace Palace 40 minutes before the start of the sitting at the latest. They will be given a badge providing access to the public gallery upon presentation of valid ID. The security officers at the gate will notify those concerned once all available seats have been filled.
3. Media representatives
Media representatives who wish to attend the sitting are kindly requested to fill out an online accreditation form by 4 p.m. (The Hague time) today. Requests submitted after this deadline will not be considered. The Court’s press room can accommodate only a limited number of people. Accreditation requests will be considered on a first-come first-served basis. No requests received by phone or email will be accepted.
B. Further practical information for the media
1. Entry to the Peace Palace
Only duly accredited individuals with valid identification will be permitted to enter the Peace Palace grounds. Accredited media representatives must bring with them their personal ID and press card. They are asked to arrive at the Peace Palace gates no later than 30 minutes before the start of the sitting. The press room will be open one and a half hours before the start of the sitting and will close one hour after it concludes.
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2. Access to the courtroom
A limited number of professional photographers and camera operators will be permitted to enter the courtroom for a few minutes before the start of the sitting. They will be accompanied by members of the Information Department. Other media representatives will not have access to the courtroom.
3. Press Room
The sitting will be transmitted live in the two official languages of the Court, English and French, in a press room equipped with shared internet access (Wi-Fi and Ethernet). TV crews can connect to the Court’s PAL (HD and SD) and NTSC (SD) audiovisual system, and radio reporters to the audio system.
4. Multimedia
The sitting will be streamed live and on demand (VOD) in the two official languages of the Court, on the Court’s website and on UN Web TV. High-resolution video clips and still photos produced by the Registry during the sitting will be available free of charge and free of copyright for editorial, non-commercial use, on the Court’s website (to download, click on Multimedia) and X feed (@CIJ_ICJ).
Upon the conclusion of the sitting, the Order, a summary of the Order, and any opinions or declarations of Members of the Court appended thereto will be published on the Court’s website and on its LinkedIn and X accounts.
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Note: The Court’s press releases are prepared by its Registry for information purposes only and do not constitute official documents.
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The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. It was established by the United Nations Charter in June 1945 and began its activities in April 1946. The Court is composed of 15 judges elected for a nine-year term by the General Assembly and the Security Council of the United Nations. The seat of the Court is at the Peace Palace in The Hague (Netherlands). The Court has a twofold role: first, to settle, in accordance with international law, legal disputes submitted to it by States; and, second, to give advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by duly authorized United Nations organs and agencies of the system.
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Information Department:
Ms Monique Legerman, First Secretary of the Court, Head of Department: +31 (0)70 302 2336
Ms Joanne Moore, Information Officer: +31 (0)70 302 2337
Mr Avo Sevag Garabet, Associate Information Officer: +31 (0)70 302 2394
Email: [email protected]