Anti-Israel 'Hague Group' caught coordinating with US sanctioned groups
"Assume it’s not confidential": Hague Group exec admits secret coordination with sanctioned Al Haq to avoid "scaring away Europeans"
A top official from the Hague Group, a diplomatic coalition formed to pursue legal action against Israel, was caught on tape admitting that the organization secretly coordinates with a US-sanctioned NGO.
During a webinar hosted last Thursday by "United Staff for Gaza," Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla, the Hague Group’s executive secretary, revealed that the coalition’s co-chairs South Africa and Colombia are regularly advised by Al Haq.
The Ramallah-based organization was sanctioned by the US State Department last September for its role in "anti-Israel law-fare."
Gandikota-Nellutla, apparently believing the briefing was confidential, described a "very careful" dynamic where civil society groups are present at "every single ministerial meeting." However, she noted that these groups are kept off the formal roster to avoid "scaring away the Europeans" who might otherwise view the Hague Group as a "radical campaign group" rather than a diplomatic bloc.
"I want to make sure that we're in a kind of confidential, friendly space here," Gandikota-Nellutla stated before disclosing the involvement of Al Haq and Al-Shabaka, a US-based think tank with a history of BDS activity.
https://x.com/i/web/status/2051847823201620249
This post can't be displayed because social networks cookies have been deactivated. You can activate them by clicking .
The admission prompted an immediate warning from the webinar’s chair, former senior UN official Andrew Gilmour, who reminded her that 108 people were on the call and that she should "assume it's not confidential."
The revelation has raised questions about whether the Hague Group’s leadership could face secondary US sanctions. When asked about the group's cooperation with Al Haq, a State Department official referred inquiries to the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
"The United States will continue to respond with significant and tangible consequences to... punish entities that are complicit in [ICC] overreach," the official said, reiterating Washington's opposition to politicized investigations against its allies.
Launched in early 2025, the Hague Group consists of South Africa, Colombia, Malaysia, Cuba, Namibia, and Senegal. While it aims to unite the "Global South" against alleged violations of international law, the coalition has faced recent instability, with both Honduras and Bolivia announcing their exits from the group this past March.