How the Hague Group is set to challenge US-backed Israeli impunity

In a significant move, delegates from nine countries gathered at the capital of the Netherlands to announce the formation of The Hague Group, an international coalition dedicated to ensuring Israel’s accountability under international law.

The group, comprising nations from the Global South, was established in response to Israel’s failure to comply with legal rulings by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the broader lack of enforcement mechanisms within global institutions.

The group also aims to “prevent the provision or transfer of arms, munitions, and related equipment” to Israel and plans to block vessels suspected of carrying military fuel and weaponry to Israel from docking at member states’ ports, actions that are clear violations of international law.

South Africa, Malaysia, Namibia, Colombia, Bolivia, Chile, Senegal, Honduras, and Belize are part of the group “born of necessity”, as Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla, the Acting Chair of the caucus, put it.

“A system that permits the documented killing of at least 61,000 civilians is not merely failing — it has failed,” Gandikota-Nellutla tells TRT World, referring to Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza since October 7, 2023.

Though the official death toll is just over 48,000 – most of them women and children – authorities in Gaza believe that the number could cross 60,000, given the large number of people still unaccounted for and presumed dead.

“That recognition is what brings forth The Hague Group, a coalition committed to taking decisive, coordinated action in pursuit of accountability for Israel’s violations of international law,” adds Gandikota-Nellutla, who is also the general coordinator of the Progressive International, which convened the Hague Group.

Challenges ahead

The Hague Group is driven by a commitment to ensure justice for victims and prevent future violations through fair, independent investigations and prosecutions – whether at the national or international level.

To achieve this, the coalition has outlined legal and diplomatic actions.

A key purpose may be pressuring states to adopt binding measures against Israel in response to international court rulings.

This may include advocating for sanctions, trade restrictions, and legal consequences for officials and institutions complicit in war crimes.

“In an interconnected world, the mechanisms of injustice are found in the fabric of global supply chains,” Gandikota-Nellutla says.

“Advanced weaponry cannot be built without metals, components, technology, and logistics networks that span continents. By coordinating our policies, we aim to build a bulwark to defend international law.”

The group also underlines the broader challenge: the erosion of international legal institutions and the impunity granted to powerful states.

“The key challenges for the Hague Group – and really, for any nation seeking to uphold international law – is the endorsement of impunity by powerful nations, the destruction of our international legal institutions, and the punishment meted out to countries that seek to hold Israel accountable.”

Recent geopolitical developments have only reinforced the urgency of the Hague Group’s mission.

“US President Donald Trump’s recent proposal to annex, ethnically cleanse, and ‘take over’ Gaza serve not only as a naked endorsement of Israel’s genocidal actions — but strike at the very foundations of international law, which the global community has a duty to defend.”

Beyond legal mechanisms, the Hague Group also sees itself as a representative voice for the Global South, challenging the dominance of Western –particularly US-led– institutions that have long dictated the enforcement of international rulings.

“The Hague Group’s formation marks a turning point in the global response to exceptionalism and the broader erosion of international law. It sends a clear message: no nation is above the law, and no crime will go unanswered,” said South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola.

Spurred by the belief that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”, the group is drawing inspiration from the international community’s success in dismantling “apartheid in South Africa through similarly coordinated legal, economic and diplomatic pressure”

Gandikota-Nellutla says, “We must now unite to enforce international law and protect the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.”

Standing firm against US pressure

The formation of The Hague Group comes at a time of escalating tensions, with US President Donald Trump vowing to “take over Gaza” and imposing punitive measures against the ICJ.

In December 2023, South Africa became the first nation to bring Israel before the ICJ, accusing it of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention in Gaza, reduced to rubble by Israeli bombardment.

In response, the US retaliated with economic pressure – Trump signed an executive order halting financial aid to South Africa, citing its case against Israel at the ICJ.

Despite this, South Africa has refused to back down. “There is no chance South Africa could withdraw the case,” said Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola.

The ICC had also issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

The ICC’s legal efforts, too, have faced significant pushback from the US.

Early in January, Washington passed a bill aimed solely at shielding Israeli leaders from arrest for their role in the genocide of Palestinians for 15 months, consequently imposing sanctions on ICC officials who investigate or prosecute Israeli officials.

This blatant obstruction of justice is what Gandikota-Nellutla calls the US’s campaign of “punishment for liberation”.

“In the face of these threats, collective action remains the only effective counter. As The Hague Group grows, if the US begins to punish everybody, it will end up isolating itself.”

Trump’s remarks about “taking over Gaza” may sound shocking, but as the Hague Group points out, this has long been US policy.

“President Trump makes clear that no stone would be left unturned to achieve Israel’s colonial ambitions,” says Gandikota-Nellutla.