The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has granted Israel a further two-month extension to file its counter-arguments in South Africa’s genocide case, a move described by one legal scholar as “disappointing.”
In an order dated Oct. 20 and published Oct. 23, the court accepted Israel’s request to push its deadline to March 12, 2026, following an earlier extension to Jan. 12. South Africa met its own deadline of Oct. 28, 2024, while Israel’s original deadline to respond was July 28, 2025.
Israel argued that unresolved evidentiary issues and the need to allocate resources to the court’s recent advisory opinion on its humanitarian obligations justified the delay. South Africa opposed the request, warning that another extension would undermine “the urgency of the case and the principle of equality between the parties,” the ICJ noted.
Gerhard Kemp, professor of international criminal law at UWE Bristol, criticized the ruling. “It is disappointing that the ICJ has granted yet another extension to Israel,” he told Middle East Eye, adding that Israel has had “ample time” since October 2024 to respond. He urged greater urgency, given the continuing conflict in Gaza and the ICJ’s recent advisory opinion on violations of the Geneva Conventions.
