As the International Court of Justice (ICJ) commenced hearing South Africa’s genocide case against Israel on January 11, issues surrounding the competence of the ICJ, the enforceability of its judgement, and the options in case Israel does not adhere to the judgement have assumed significance. According to existing international law, genocide is a jus cogens norm of international law. Jus cogens norms are those which protect the basic value of human civilisation or core to humanity in general. Therefore, genocide is a global norm and needs protection