The International Court of Justice announced on Tuesday that Lebanese Judge Nawaf Salam has been elected by his peers as the newest and 27th president of the ICJ. He is due to serve a term of three years.

Salam, who became a member of the ICJ on February 6, 2018, is the second Arab to be president and the first Lebanese judge. He previously served as Lebanon's ambassador to the United Nations from 2007 to 2017. 

انتخابي رئيسا لمحكمة العدل الدولية مسؤولية كبرى في تحقيق العدالة الدولية واعلاء القانون الدولي. وأول ما يحضر إلى ذهني ايضاً في هذه اللحظة هو همي الدائم ان تعود مدينتي بيروت، أماََ للشرائع كما هو لقبها، وان ننجح كلبنانيين في إقامة دولة القانون في بلادنا وان يسود العدل بين أبنائه. https://t.co/vIs487b3yN

— Nawaf Salam نواف سلام (@nawafasalam) February 6, 2024

The new president will now preside over South Africa’s genocide case against "Israel". However, the ICJ simultaneously announced that Ugandan judge Julia Sebutinde has been elected as Vice-President.

Sebutinde elected Vice-President

Sebutinde, who has been an ICJ member since 2012, voted against all measures when the ICJ charged "Israel" with six interim measures to stop the occupation's impeding of deliveries of aid, and received international backlash from the pro-Palestinian community on social media.

PRESS RELEASE: Judge Julia Sebutinde (#Uganda) was today elected Vice-President of the #ICJ by her peers, for a term of three years https://t.co/KCudym2fQl pic.twitter.com/H277yJeUFs

— CIJ_ICJ (@CIJ_ICJ) February 6, 2024

The Ugandan government previously disowned Judge Julia Sebutinde following her vote against all provisionary measures ruled by ICJ against "Israel" regarding the genocide in Gaza. 

Justice Sebutinde ruling at the International Court of Justice does not represent the Government of Uganda’s position on the situation in Palestine. She has previously voted against Uganda’s case on DRC. Uganda’s support for the plight of the Palestinian people has been expressed…

— Adonia Ayebare (@adoniaayebare) January 26, 2024