Legal Explainer: What Is The Hague Group, and Why the Hind Rajab Foundation's Participation Matters

Emergency Conference of States: July 2025 - Bogotá, Colombia
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On July 16, 2025, 30 countries convened in Bogotá, Colombia, under the banner of The Hague Group to activate a coordinated legal response to the decades of Israel's impunity from prosecution under international law, which has culminated in the genocide in Gaza.

The two-day conference and its Joint Statement on the Conclusion of the Emergency Conference on Palestine marked a defining moment in international legal history—the first time since the establishment of Israel that a multi-state alliance, including Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Honduras, Malaysia, Namibia, Senegal, and South Africa, committed to enforcing international law without political bias or delay.
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Unsurprisingly, no leading Western state endorsed the statement. However, Bogotá will be remembered as a turning point and historic moment as other states take the lead in restoring dignity of life to the world order and enforcing the inalienable tenets of international humanitarian law.

What Is The Hague Group?

On 31 January 2025, Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Honduras, Malaysia, Namibia, Senegal, and South Africa gathered in The Hague to form a legal alliance now known as The Hague Group.

This coalition was launched to coordinate international legal action against Israel’s mounting and escalating breaches of international law, particularly against the Palestinian people but also against states including Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, and Iran. These violations include Israel's disproportionate assaults against and deliberate targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure, illegal territorial expansionism and settlement, apartheid, military occupation, and now genocide.

“On the work of The Hague Group and its Emergency Conference, South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola stated:

“What we have achieved here is a collective affirmation that no state is above the law. The Hague Group was born to advance international law in an era of impunity. The measures adopted in Bogotá show that we are serious — and that coordinated state action is possible.””

The Group's member states have already taken coordinated and escalating recourse and action across legal, trade, and diplomatic channels to hold Israel accountable for its persistent infractions, continuous transgressions, and routine, ongoing, and escalating violations of international law.

• Legally, the Group’s foundation has been reinforced by South Africa’s landmark case filed at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on December 29, 2023, accusing Israel of genocide under the Genocide Convention—a move widely regarded as a cornerstone of the coalition’s legal agenda. Countries including Bolivia, Colombia, and Namibia later formally joined the case, further strengthening the multilateral legal effort.
  
• Regarding arms and trade restrictions, Namibia and Malaysia have blocked weapons shipments to Israel following Hague Group directives, while the broader coalition committed to halting the transfer of arms and military fuel, in alignment with ICJ decisions such as Nicaragua v. Germany (April 2024).
  
• On the diplomatic front, Bolivia and Colombia recalled their ambassadors from Israel in late 2023 and early 2024. In May 2024, Colombia announced a full severance of diplomatic ties, underscoring the Group’s growing political pressure campaign.

​Why Was The Hague Group Formed?

According to Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla, Chair of The Hague Group and Co-General Coordinator of Progressive International, the coalition is a response to the failure of Western states to comply with their binding legal obligations under international law.

“"The Hague Group isn't meant to be just a talk shop where states say they support Palestine," Gandikota-Nellutla told Middle East Eye”

The group was established in response to Israel's noncompliance with ICJ orders and continued rogue violations of international law, in addition to the widespread defiance by Western states of international legal rulings, including the ICC’s arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Why the Hind Rajab Foundation's Participation Matters

The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF)—an organisation focused on offensive legal action to prosecute war criminals and parties complicit in the ethnic cleansing and genocide in Palestine—played a pivotal role in the proceedings. At the Emergency Conference in Bogotá, HRF legal advisor Jake Romm joined ministers and representatives from the member states, making a direct intervention and calling on states to:
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• Open direct channels of cooperation with HRF.
• Rapidly review legal cases filed against war crime suspects before they are able to flee member state jurisdictions.
• Coordinate on complex prosecutions, including arms suppliers and enablers.
• Use national laws to enforce international legal obligations.

HRF has tracked Israeli military units implicated in war crimes across Gaza and compiled evidence-based dossiers identifying individual perpetrators, some of whom possess dual nationality in states represented at the conference. However, HRF cannot issue arrest warrants or prosecute suspects—only states can.

HRF's Jake Romm adds: "Investigations have been launched in some jurisdictions... but not enough. There has not been a single arrest. This is purely a problem of political will, because the law could not be clearer."

Are States Legally Obligated to Act?

Yes. All 30 participating states are parties to the Genocide Convention, the Geneva Conventions, and many are signatories to the Convention on the Non-Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity. These treaties obligate states to:
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• Exercise universal jurisdiction over grave breaches.
• Actively prosecute individuals accused of war crimes.
• Prevent genocidal acts and punish perpetrators.

​By agreeing to The Hague Group’s joint statement and the UN General Assembly resolution of 18 September 2024, these states affirmed their legal obligation to implement the ICJ’s provisional measures, as well as cases filed against perpetrators, accomplices, and inciters of war crimes by legal organizations and advocates such as the HRF. 

An entire neighborhood reduced to rubble. Immense civilian infrastructure destruction in Gaza constitute both a grave war crime and a crime against humanit. Photo: Abdel Kareem Hana

A Concrete Example: The HRF's Complaint in Portugal

Portugal recently received a legal complaint against Israeli sniper Dani Adonya Adega filed by the Hind Rajab Foundation. Adega is accused of committing grave breaches during a declared ceasefire and was photographed in Lisbon in July 2025. HRF presented evidence, including social media posts where Adega bragged: "4 rounds, 0 misses 🎯🔥."
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This complaint is part of the Foundation’s broader campaign to hold Israeli military personnel accountable for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the 2023–2025 Gaza onslaught. And, this case is not an isolated one. It merely exemplifies how states can enforce legal obligations when equipped with credible evidence. Under the principle of universal jurisdiction, Portugal has the legal authority—and obligation—to detain suspected war criminals found on its territory.

What Did the Conference Decide?

The 30 states present unanimously declared that the “era of impunity must end,” with the following measures adopted:
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• Arms Prohibition: Prevent transfer or provision of arms, munitions, military fuel, and dual-use items to Israel.
• Maritime Restrictions: Block vessels suspected of transporting such items from docking or transiting through national ports.
• Flag State Responsibility: De-flag non-compliant vessels.
• Procurement Reviews: Audit and end public contracts entrenching the occupation.
• Accountability Mechanisms: Initiate independent investigations and prosecutions.
• Universal Jurisdiction: Activate domestic legal tools to prosecute international crimes committed in Palestine.

“Upon the conclusion of the conference, Colombian President Gustavo Petro stated, “We came to Bogotá to make history—and we did. Together, we have begun the work of ending the era of impunity. These measures show that we will no longer allow international law to be treated as optional, or Palestinian life as disposable.”

“Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla, Executive Secretary of The Hague Group, concluded: “This conference marks a turning point—not just for Palestine, but for the future of the international system. For decades, states—particularly in the Global South—have borne the cost of a broken international system. In Bogotá, they came together to reclaim it—not with words, but with actions.””

The Legal Foundation: ICJ and ICC Rulings

The ICJ has issued three binding orders against Israel in 2024 alone, including:
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• 26 January: Ruled Israel's actions may plausibly constitute genocide. Ordered preventative measures.
• 28 March & 24 May: Demanded Israel halt its assault on Rafah and ensure humanitarian access.
• 30 April (Nicaragua v. Germany): Reaffirmed that third-party states must not supply arms if there is a risk of genocide.

On 19 July 2024, the ICJ also issued an advisory opinion declaring Israel’s occupation of Gaza and the West Bank illegal. The UN General Assembly subsequently endorsed the opinion with 124 votes.

The ICC also broke precedent by issuing arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant in November 2024—a first against leaders of a Western-aligned state.

Yet states like France, Hungary, and Italy refused to comply, wrongly citing immunity. The ICC and international law scholars have rejected this claim.

The U.S. Response: Undermining International Law and Legal Institutions

Western states, especially the U.S., have sought to shield Israel from accountability. In February 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan. Congress also introduced legislation to review bilateral ties with South Africa in retaliation for its ICJ case.

“​"The US and its allies have spent 15 months funding, arming, and making excuses for a genocide... It is a question of the US destroying any semblance of [international law]."—​Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla”

When Spain imposed an arms embargo on Israel, the U.S. responded with a punitive investigation into Spanish trade practices. These actions amount to a coordinated effort to intimidate countries seeking accountability.

Why This Moment Matters

The HRF’s involvement underscores the urgency of the moment. As Jake Romm noted, "Even mere recognition of the risk [of genocide] places upon states an affirmative duty to act."

With credible legal documentation, geopolitical momentum, and an international consensus finally beginning to form, the work of The Hague Group—and HRF’s role in supporting it—may offer the best chance yet to enforce international law where it has long been denied.

“We are under a legal and moral obligation to impose consequences. Not in a piecemeal fashion, not on few of the ‘worst’ individuals, but on all of them, everywhere. Only a concerted global effort will puncture this wall of impunity,” said Jake Romm, HRF Legal Advisor

​Whilst we applaud the work of the International Criminal Court, we recognise that the court moves slowly and presently lacks the resources necessary to pursue anyone except the highest-level perpetrators. This is why international mechanisms are not—and ought not to be—the primary means for seeking accountability.

Perpetrators are continuing to flee jurisdictions—evidence that the HRF’s filings are having an effect and making the world inhospitable to these criminals. However, this is not justice; this is not about easy wins. It’s about breaking the culture of impunity.

““One arrest. One conviction. That’s all it takes to shift the tide. Law is expressive: it says what we tolerate—and what we no longer will. A single prosecution can create irreversible momentum toward justice.”—Jake Romm, HRF Legal Advisor​”

HRF further called on The Hague Group to work with us to continue building cases against those who aid and abet war crimes and crimes against humanity: from the multinational arms companies, intelligence, and logistics suppliers to the suppliers of fuel and energy, without whom Israel's genocide in Palestine would not be possible.

Bogotá will be remembered as a turning point. A moment when states, finally, began to act.
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The Hind Rajab Foundation is ready—with evidence, legal teams, and a global network, we will play our part.

Video: HRF Legal Advisor Jake Romm shares an update from The Hague Group Emergency Conference in Bogotá, July 16–18.