Lebanese anti-Israeli judge elected new president of International Court of Justice

On the other hand: Pro-Israeli Ugandan judge will serve as ICJ's new VP

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The International Court of Justice in The Hague appointed a new president with a troubling history of anti-Israeli sentiments.

Lebanese Judge Nawaf Salam was elected by his 14 peers to preside over the "World Court" for the next three years, according to the ICJ announcement.

Salam became a member of the ICJ in 2018, after serving as the Lebanese ambassador to the United Nations in New York from 2007 to 2017.

The World Court judges selected Ugandan Julia Sebutinde as the ICJ's vice president.

Sebutinde was strongly criticized after she represented the only dissenting voice, along with Israel's representatives, regarding last month’s ICJ decision to order Israel to take several measures to ensure the rights of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Salam supported each of the measures, while Sebutinde rejected all of them.

Israeli justice Aharon Barak supported two measures that aimed to increase humanitarian aid to the population in Gaza.

In the wake of Salam’s appointment, Israeli media widely reported on his history of anti-Israeli comments he made on 𝕏, which are still openly accessible.

On June 5, 2015, Salam wrote “Unhappy birthday to you,” tagging Israel and noting “48 years of occupation” of Gaza and the West Bank.

Four months later, he wrote: “Israel must stop violence and end occupation.”

#Israel Occupation of #Gaza & the #WestBank. pic.twitter.com/rWdrMK0KHA
— Nawaf Salam نواف سلام (@nawafasalam) June 6, 2015

“When we criticize and condemn Israel, it is never because of the Jewish character of the majority of its population,” Salam wrote in 2015, later adding, “Portraying the critics of Israel’s policies as antisemites is an attempt to intimidate and discredit them, which we reject.”

Also in 2015, the newly appointed ICJ president wrote, “Palestine’s full membership in UN and ending Israel’s occupation remain long overdue.”

Salam will now preside over the ongoing lawsuit against the Jewish state, alleging that Israel is committing “genocide” in its war against the Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

While the ICJ refrained from issuing a direct order for Israel to cease hostilities, the court did mandate five measures aimed at safeguarding the rights of Palestinians. In addition, Israel was directed to submit a progress report within a month.