The Role of International Law in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Israel before The Hague Courts

In July 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is unlawful. South Africa has also brought a significant case before the ICJ concerning the prevention of genocide in Gaza, which is still pending. What are the implications of these legal cases for Israel and the international community? What responsibilities do the Netherlands and other EU states have in light of these developments?

As the war on Palestine and Lebanon escalates, this discussion will address critical issues related to the law of war, the conduct of hostilities, international criminal law, and the role of international sanctions. Join us for an in-depth exploration of these pressing questions and the potential and limits of international law to promote justice and accountability.

About the speakers

Nimer Sultany is Reader in Public Law at SOAS University of London. He is the Editor-in-Chief of The Palestine Yearbook of International Law, and the author of the book Law and Revolution: Legitimacy and Constitutionalism After the Arab Spring (OUP 2017). Among his recent publications is the article ‘A Threshold Crossed: On Genocidal Intent and the Duty to Prevent Genocide in Palestine’.

Janne Nijman is Professor of ‘History and Theory of International Law’ at the University of Amsterdam School of Law, and fellow of the Amsterdam Center for International Law (ACIL), as well as Professor of International Law at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID) in Geneva. Currently, Nijman is also a member of the Advisory Council on International Affairs (AIV), an independent body that advises the Dutch government and parliament on foreign policy (2023-), and chair of its Committee on Human Rights.

For further contextualisation of the references made in this program to the AIV advice ‘Naar een nieuwe koers voor Nederland in het Israëlisch-Palestijnse conflict’ and further details on the recommendations, see the text here.

Sergey Vasiliev is a full professor of international law at the Department of Public Law at the Open University. His main fields of expertise within public international law include international criminal law, international humanitarian law, human rights, procedure before international courts and tribunals, and institutional and governance aspects of international adjudication. He has also taught comparative (criminal) law, transnational criminal law, and European Union criminal law.

Miriam Heipertz (moderator) is a PhD Candidate and lecturer at the Amsterdam Centre for International Law and the Amsterdam Center for European Law and Governance. She currently works on imaginaries of property in European and International Law, and has experience in international humanitarian law and international criminal law.