International Court of Justice
International Court of JusticeiStock

Judge Julia Sebutinde is set to assume the presidency of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), following current President Nawaf Salam's departure, to take appointment as Prime Minister of Lebanon, after its new president, Joseph Aoun, proposed to appoint Salam as Prime Minister.

Salam recently called Israel an "enemy," as the Lebanese state defines Israel, which raises questions about his decision to be part of the panel that will judge South Africa's lawsuit against Israel in The Hague.

Last April, Sebutinde was the only judge (with the exception of the judge appointed by Israel to the hearing, Aharon Barak) of the 17 judges, who ruled in favor of Israel in the Israel-Hamas War lawsuit.

Salam's tenure was particularly short given the fact that he was appointed to the position less than a year ago.

In a parliamentary vote to approve the president's decision, 84 of the 128 members of parliament supported Salam, and only nine for Najib Mikati, interim prime minister for the past two years.

Salam has been supported throughout the race by elements opposed to Hezbollah inside Lebanon.