Published: July 14, 2025, 01:06 AM
Bangladesh is set to join over 20 countries at a high-level emergency summit in Bogota on 15–16 July, where participating nations will announce concrete legal, diplomatic, and economic measures in response to Israel’s alleged violations of international law, diplomats have confirmed.
The summit is being co-hosted by Colombia and South Africa, acting as co-chairs of The Hague Group an alliance of countries aiming to hold Israel accountable for its actions in Gaza and broader disregard for international norms.
Formed on 31 January 2024 in The Hague, the group originally included Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Honduras, Malaysia, Namibia, Senegal, and South Africa. It has since expanded, with the Bogota summit bringing together countries such as Algeria, Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, China, Indonesia, Ireland, Lebanon, Nicaragua, Oman, Portugal, Qatar, Spain, Turkey, Uruguay, and Palestine, among others.
The participating nations seek to coordinate a unified international response to what they describe as a climate of impunity, reinforced by Israel’s powerful allies. The gathering will feature prominent UN officials, including Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine, and Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, ongoing since October 2023, has reportedly resulted in the deaths of over 57,000 Palestinians, displacement of nearly the entire population, and a humanitarian crisis marked by mass starvation and the destruction of vital infrastructure.
South African Foreign Minister Roland Lamola stated that The Hague Group’s formation marked a global shift toward reinforcing international accountability. “This Bogota conference will carry that spirit forward, sending a unified message: no nation is above the law, and no crime goes unanswered,” he said.
Colombian Vice-Minister Mauricio Jaramillo Jassir echoed the urgency, saying, “Colombia cannot remain silent in the face of apartheid and ethnic cleansing. In Bogota, we will move from condemnation to collective action.”
Over the past 20 months, member states have independently taken significant steps: South Africa filed a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), later supported by Bolivia, Colombia, and Namibia. Namibia and Malaysia blocked arms shipments to Israel from docking at their ports. Colombia severed diplomatic ties with Israel. The summit aims to bring these efforts under one coordinated framework for stronger impact.
The Hague Group also represents growing frustration over global inaction and non-compliance with binding international rulings, including Israel’s failure to abide by multiple ICJ orders, and the political resistance from some Western nations to ICC arrest warrants against Israeli leaders like Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant issued in November 2024.
